


Facade

by PsychoLimbo



Category: Original Work
Genre: Depression, Gore, OCs - Freeform, Original Characters - Freeform, Other, Yeah this is an original work, and I love them all, and ao3 was the solution, because why the hell not, but also the antagonists are lgbt+phobic assholes, fuck it all, i hope you love them too, i really just needed a place to keep this, im uploading this here, there's a lot of characters ok, there's aliens n shit, theres lgbt+ characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-01-18 14:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12389865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychoLimbo/pseuds/PsychoLimbo
Summary: Life on the planet of Kavingar is far from simple. A girl who can see the dead, a conflicted young ex-soldier, a psychic in hiding with a half-alien boy, and a pair of misfits with unsual abilities, for starters. On top of it all, civil rivalries are beginning to break out in the otherwise-serene city of Arlin.(aka I can't write a synopsis to save my life and I'm dying)





	1. ghost

**Author's Note:**

> *shoves this in ur face* look at this shitty thing i made

Glaring white light beams down on the interrogation room, illuminating a gaunt-faced, feathery-haired young person of no more than eighteen. Across from them sits a black-haired young man with tan skin and a prosthetic arm. A set of rectangular glasses rest halfway down his nose, and his pale green eyes glitter as he clasps his hands together on the interrogation table. Behind him, six armed guards hold M16's, six sets of hostile eyes resting on the brown-haired individual.

 

Bringing his right hand, the intact one, up to his stubbly chin, the young man murmurs, “My name is Hiro Kenjirou. I am a detective under the jurisdiction of the Council of Seven, and have been sent here in order to interrogate you about your crimes as a Kestrel. What have you to say for yourself, Kestrel Poltergeist?”

 

Calmly, the young person raises her head, revealing one cloudy grey, unseeing eye and one hazel eye accented with flickers of amber. Her face looks young, despite being marred with numerous scars, yet her eyes hold the knowledge and pain of a jaded soldier. This girl’s mouth curves into a smile that hovers on the boundary between malicious and genuine. The deep, unspeakable pain in her eyes fades and is painted over with a cocky confidence that leads Hiro to clench his jaw in irritation.

 

Cracking a grin and shrugging, she clasps her hands together on the table, which sends a metallic clanking sound echoing around the room. Hiro’s eyes are immediately drawn to the dog tags around her neck. As was common knowledge, every Kestrel had at one point been a Runner, a young soldier sent outside the walls of each city on this hostile alien planet to find resources and fight the hostile alien species that inhabited Kavingar. Kestrels, however, were Runners who put their skills to improper use and instead targeted the governing human power over Kavingar, the Council of Seven. Kestrels were to be caught and/or killed on sight. Poltergeist, however, was an exception. Such an intriguing, loose-cannon Runner was much more use alive than dead.

 

“I dunno, cap, I assume you know everything about me. I was a Runner, and personal privacy is a foreign concept to them. You’d know, wouldn’t you, hmm? As an ex-Runner yourself?”

 

Hiro’s eyes flash with surprise and Poltergeist lets out a high-pitched laugh, leaning back in their chair as their handcuffs clank sharply.

 

“Ah, ah ha ha ha! I was right! That was a guess. I assumed you’d call my bluff, but I guess I know a lot more about you than you know about me.”

 

The four dog tags glitter over her chest once again, and Hiro clears his throat. He can hear the guards behind him muttering in distaste. “First question: whose dog tags have you been wearing all this time?”

 

Poltergeist snorts, cracking an insolent grin and teasing, “I dunno, maybe yours?”

 

Hiro narrows his eyes. “I have a Legacy, and that is the ability to see into other people’s minds. I will know if you’re lying.”

 

Poltergeist rolls her eyes, tapping her feet against the linoleum floor in impatience and annoyance. “I took them offa dead body.”

 

She wasn’t lying, Hiro reflected, and decided to dig a little farther. “Whose dead body did you take them off?”

 

At this, Poltergeist’s eyes grow as dark and cold as ice at midnight. Exposing white teeth accented by sharp canines, she softly murmurs, “You’d be wise to talk about something else. That’s a touchy subject, Zero.”

 

“Childish name-calling isn’t going to get you anywhere. Answer the question.”

 

Poltergeist’s form seems to flicker like static on an old television screen for a moment and all the lights in the room start to flicker in the same manner. Her eyes flit off to the left for a split second, focusing on some invisible object that Hiro can’t see when he, too, glances over his shoulder. When he looks back, Poltergeist’s piercing eyes are fixated right on his own.

 

A chill runs up his spine. It feels as though Poltergeist is staring directly into his soul, reading his thoughts, sifting through his deepest and darkest memories. It’s only a moment, but it feels like an eternity before Poltergeist blinks once again and Hiro returns to his spot in the room, sitting across from the girl who seems as though she belongs in another reality altogether.

 

He can’t shake this deep-seated, primal terror that’s begun to sink into his bones.

 

Poltergeist sighs heavily, her past burdens evident in the curve of her shoulders, a weight far beyond her years. “I took these off the body of my closest friend when she was killed in the line of duty. End of story. Let’s move on.”

 

“How did she die?” Hiro begins, but Poltergeist’s eyes once again sink into his soul, icy claws of fear beginning to close tightly around his heart, suffocating him and spreading arctic cold through his veins. He’s aware that his hands have begun to quiver, but from cold or fear, he can’t tell which. He just knows that he’s stepped far out of his league with this one. This Kestrel’s certainly one hundred percent human, the blood tests were concrete evidence, but she felt about as far from human as one could get.

 

Uneasy rumblings whisk through the guards behind Hiro. Trying his best to shake this horrid unease, he changes his line of questioning.

 

“Very well, I’ll drop the subject. Your Legacy was noted in Runner records as ‘unknown’, ‘none’, and ‘foresight’. As such, it would be of great benefit to us all if you finally told us of the nature of your Legacy.”

 

Poltergeist snorts, fiddling with the cuffs attaching her wrists to the table. Numerous white scars slice horizontally across her wrists, too deliberate and distinct to be accidental. Hiro’s brows lower over his eyes as he takes mental note of them. “I assumed you knew, judging by how your hands are shaking, man.” Poltergeist says in an almost teasing tone, a lopsided smile forming on her face.

 

He stills his hands with a stern look at the girl, who smirks back at him. “Take a wild guess, Sherlock Holmes.”

 

Taking her up on her challenge, his mind sifts through countless possibilities. Manipulation of emotions? Mind reading? Foresight? Escape artist? Hallucination-inducing? None of these seemed quite right, and Poltergeist seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

 

She snickers, and once again, the lights flicker eerily. “I can give you a hint, if you want. I won’t explicitly say what it is, though. You’ll need to figure that out for yourself.”

 

Hiro opens his mouth to accept, but she interrupts him with a chuckle. “Right, right, I’m on it, cap.” She laces her fingers together, palms facing away from her body, and cracks her knuckles in that manner, her white teeth flashing briefly in a small grin.

 

“Casper, my friend, Earth, and stone. What do all of these have in common?” She asks in a lilting tone, leaning forward to rest her chin in her right hand. Her short, feathery golden-brown hair flutters gently around her face despite there being a complete lack of wind in the room, and that fact sends yet another chill down Hiro’s spine.

 

Still, Hiro thinks for a moment before murmuring, “Things we’ve lost…?”

 

Poltergeist makes a harsh honking noise, like a buzzer. The sudden, loud noise echoes around the empty room and causes Hiro to flinch involuntarily. Why is he so on edge? This is just like any other investigation.

 

Except, it’s not.

 

This is the most notorious Kestrel in Kavingar’s history. She’s sitting here before him with a sweet smile on her face, gently rocking from side to side like a child with her eyes fixated on his. Her gaze, though, screams __‘I could kill you at any given second’.__ Hiro can’t quell this horrid panic beginning to suffocate him.

 

“We haven’t lost stone, or Casper the friendly fucking ghost. Think harder. This should be no problem for an ace detective like you.”

 

It clicks.

 

“They’re all dead.”

 

“Correct, cap, I’m impressed.” She remarks, with an expression that indicates the polar opposite of ‘impressed’.

 

Now, she sits up, tipping her chair back so that the front legs rise off the floor. “Now, use that term and apply it to what you think my Legacy is.”

 

What on earth could it be? No Legacy had ever been recorded that could instantly kill someone at random, and a dead human couldn’t manifest a Legacy. That should be obvious; a corpse couldn’t generate new cells and develop new characteristics like a live organism could. Yet…could a human interact with the dead? Was that possible? Science said otherwise, but not even basic Legacies had been fully explained yet.

 

“You can see the dead?”

 

Poltergeist laughs, clapping her hands together and bringing them in front of her lips. “Bingo.”

 

She isn’t lying.

 

Hiro widens his eyes in shock, straightening up in his chair very, very suddenly. “What-”

 

It’s then that Poltergeist closes her eyes, a serene expression spreading across her face. The four legs of her chair rest on the ground and she stands up. The six guards are so fixated on her facial expressions that Hiro’s the first one to notice when her wrists shimmer and the handcuffs clank to the surface of the table.

 

Her wrists go from air to fluid again, and settle in solid form before his very eyes. He knows his glasses aren’t dirty, and he knows exactly what he saw, he can hear Poltergeist’s thoughts saying __‘You saw exactly what you thought you just saw, cap.’__

 

His thoughts race for a moment and Poltergeist reaches upwards, stretching her hands high above her head and making a contented sound as she stretches. Pulling the hood of her black and white varsity jacket over her head, she opens her eyes and gives Hiro the most honest, gentle smile he’s ever seen.

 

“Sorry cap, I’m afraid I can’t spend any more time here. I’m the only one of our kind who can keep 'em company.”

 

It takes a second for Hiro to process what she means, and he rises to his feet abruptly as six guns click behind him. Poltergeist’s face becomes one of complete and utter exhaustion and she sighs. “Are we really doing this right now?” She walks calmly around the table, eyes fixated on one of the men behind Hiro.

There’s a moment of dead silence, filled with an uneasy tension that one could very easily cut with a knife.

 

Then, it happens.

 

Poltergeist takes a breath, and lets it out with a deafening, horrendous sound like television static at the sound level of a jumbo jet engine, and the lights in the room flicker wildly. Several lightbulbs pop, showering red and orange sparks on the floor in an eye-catching display of chaos. Hiro leaps to his feet, reaching for the pistol at his hip.

 

As he rips it from its leather holster, the lights go out completely and silence falls. There’s no gunfire, there’s no sounds of a struggle, it’s just maddeningly __silent.__ Even then, Hiro feels as if there’s a countless number of __things__ in the inky blackness. He can feel it, it’s certain and malicious and terrifying, and panic rises in his throat again. He swallows when he hears Poltergeist’s voice.

 

“Y’know why I picked the name Poltergeist now, eh, cap?”

 

Hiro’s throat seems to have closed up, and his mouth won’t do what he wants. He’s been struck silent, and he knows for a fact that his life depends on what Poltergeist sees fit. At the moment, he’s powerless, and the upper hand he held above the girl was now gone. She was his ruler, and he was a peon under her control.

 

The lights flicker back to life, some broken beyond repair, but just enough left flickering to illuminate the room. A figure shimmers at the corner of Hiro’s vision, and in a fit of paranoia, he whirls around and fires off a shot.

 

There was nothing there.

 

A tap on his shoulder makes him whip back around, ragged breaths racking his whole body. Poltergeist stares calmly down the barrel of his pistol, eyebrows slightly raised with mild curiosity. Those eyes, piercing as ever, flick up to meet his and pause thoughtfully. God, he wants to pull the trigger. It would be so easy. __So easy.__

__

“You’ve lot your Runner spirit, cap. What happened to make you lose yours, hmm?”

 

He swallows, finger shakily curling around the trigger.

 

“I happened to be the cause of an accident resulting in the deaths of every last one of the people I cared about. Who’d you lose?”

 

Hiro’s memories start to trickle back up, like a crack in a water pipe. The sight of his younger brother willfully becoming a Runner…the consequent death of the thirteen year old boy…all his teammates also proclaimed dead.

 

He squeezes the trigger, and with a loud crack, crimson splatters on the pristine white floor. Poltergeist blinks once, as though mildly surprised. A new wound, a four-inch graze mark from the gun’s bullet, runs horizontally across her cheek and she brings her fingers up to touch it.

 

“Hm. You’ve got balls, man. You’re pretty interesting. I hope you find your brother. And come talk to me if you wanna ditch the government dog life and live for real as a Kestrel, yeah?”

 

She turns and the lights once again flick off for a mere moment. Hiro blinks a few times, struggling to get his breathing under control, when he notices that Poltergeist is gone.

 

As if she’d never even been there.

 

It takes another couple seconds before he realizes that there’s more blood on the floor than there should be. With an impending feeling of dread, he slowly looks towards the source of the scarlet river. Bile rises in his throat as he sees the six unconscious, bloodied bodies of the bodyguards he’d been talking to mere minutes earlier, now scarcely even breathing.

 

For a moment, Hiro swears he can see the figure of a small girl with brilliant red hair and blank, white eyes flicker in front of the wounded guards.

 

***************************

__


	2. a world where i do not exist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poltergeist's existence is an unusual one.

“I swear to God I’m dealing with children!” A girl snaps, cuffing Poltergeist up the side of her head as she attempts to remove her shoes at the door of her run-down apartment.

 

This girl, with a pink mohawk, a leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and a plaid skirt, floats at Poltergeist’s side with a scowl. Her glowing blue eyes cast a slight glow over her freckled cheeks and glint off the numerous piercings decorating her face. With a cocky laugh, Poltergeist swipes playfully at the ghost, who floats backwards and out of striking range.

 

“There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun, is there?” Poltergeist sighs.

 

_“You severely wounded six people!!”_

__

__“__ How in the world did you find that out?”

 

“Word travels fast among the dead.”

 

“Yeah, well, those are the same people who oversee the kids in our old positions. They don’t matter. And anyways, I didn’t lay a finger on ‘em. I just agitated the ghosts in the room with my aura enough to allow them to attack human targets.”

 

Poltergeist knows that there’s something very wrong with this belief, but that’s just how it is. Her very existence is wrong, and by all rights, she should not even exist. Spiderbloods, yes, they were all right. Humans? Less all right but still all right. Poltergeist herself? Nah. An existence hovering on the line between the living and the dead is no good.

 

Yes, there are perks to having all the abilities associated with a poltergeist phenomenon, but the downside is the constant, bone-chilling feeling of seeing a ghost’s true form. For the alien monsters inhabiting Kavingar, they resemble something like an amalgamated creature with numerous holes or eyes or something that always has to be body horror. Why is everything body horror shit? Poltergeist certainly doesn’t know, nor does she want to find out. What she'd prefer is, _‘no more body horror, please, for the love of God.’_

__

As for the true form of human beings’ ghosts, they look the way they did at the moment they lost their lives. This is incredibly traumatizing, especially when the ghost in question is a child. They only take on this form when agitated, but it’s still horrifying, no matter how many times Poltergeist sees it.

 

“How many times do I gotta say it? All living things matter in some way!” The ghost snaps in Poltergeist’s face, who just smiles back with heavy-lidded eyes.

 

“There you go again, defending the people responsible for your death.”

 

“It wasn’t their fault! They just follow the Council of Seven’s orders!”

 

“Right, right. I remember whose fault it was. It was mine.”

 

“Poltergeist-”

 

The brunette girl holds up a hand with a heavy sigh, walking across the room to flop down on the couch. Guilt washes over her like a tidal wave again, drowning out the usual sass and poorly-made jokes that normally flood her mind. Rubbing at her eyes, she mumbles, “Sorry. It’s been a day. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

 

There’s a moment of silence, in which nothing is heard but Poltergeist’s soft breathing. It’s the ghost’s voice that breaks the quiet tension, her ice-cold hand settling on Poltergeist’s shoulder as she murmurs, “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Poltergeist lets out a soft, huffing laugh, glancing up at the girl with a somber smile. “It’s nothing much-”

 

“Your aura is all over the place. Don’t lie to me.” The ghost interrupts, grabbing Poltergeist’s cheeks and making the girl widen her eyes in something partway between surprise and mortification.

 

_“FUCKING HELL KAT, DON’T TOUCH ME.”_

__

Kat blinks, recoiling before her mouth makes an ‘o’ and she snickers. “Right, I forget that the dead’s hands are cold.”

 

“I call bullshit.You knew exactly what you were doing.”

 

“I didn’t mean to!” Kat laughs, her voice as clear and distinct as a ringing bell.

 

A vague smile finds its way to Poltergeist’s face, and something clicks once in her chest. Like a door opened just enough to let someone peer inside, she feels just a bit more inclined to share the experiences of the day with the dead girl. She brings a hand up, rubbing at the back of her neck with a thoughtful expression, before lacing her fingers together and sighing heavily. Picking a speck of dirt from under her fingernail, she mutters, “I hate that place.”

 

Kat tilts her head, sitting down on the couch beside her. “I’ve never been to APD headquarters, so I can’t say but does it…does it remind you of Block 7?”

 

Poltergeist’s mind briefly flits back to the dark days she spent in the Spiderblood research facility, Block 7, but she quickly drags it back. There was no need to linger on the past. What’s done is done, and what’s dead is dead.

 

“Kinda, but there’s just…ugh, the place was filled with ghosts and stunk of dead alien spirits. I mean, that detective, Hiro, was followed by three ghosts too. Two men and a toddler. He’s interesting, all right, but the next time I see him ain’t gonna be in that godforsaken police building. All you can hear are moaning spirits and crying ghosts and it’s hard to even hear yourself think. I think that’s why I didn’t hold back. It was so… _so fucking loud _.”__

 

She holds her face in her hands, trying to calm herself down, trying desperately to push the sounds of spirits and ghosts alike crying in despair and anger from her mind.

 

_If only they could see what the fuck they’ve done._

__

The awakening of her ability to see the dead had been the first of many events that turned her from the life of a Runner and led to her following the path of a Kestrel. She’d attempted to reason with the Council of Seven through legal means, but that…had been a mistake. Governments like this one should not have existed. A dictatorship. That’s what governed Kavingar. That’s what had turned the peaceful alliance with the native populations of Kavingar into an all-out war. Poltergeist lets an agitated breath hiss through her teeth, her thoughts once again drifting off towards that detective.

 

Kat’s cold hand rests on her back, and Poltergeist is thankful for the gentle contact, despite the cold. She sits up, and Kat’s hand slips from her back.

 

“There was something else interesting that happened today.” She remarks out of the blue, blinking once in surprise.

 

“What?”

 

“The Runners they sent to catch me. White Dog and Nightmare were their aliases, and they spoke using nothing but sign language.”

 

Kat tilts her head. “Were they both deaf?”

 

“No. They had transceivers at their waists. And they weren’t mute either, they made noise when we scuffled.” Poltergeist sighs, running a hand through her hair.

 

After a moment, a smile forms on her face.

 

“White Dog was a Spiderblood. I could smell it on his skin.” her head rises, and she links her fingers together before resting her chin on them thoughtfully.

 

“An undercover Spiderblood working as a Runner, eh? That’s pretty clever. Nobody would suspect a high-ranking Runner to bear the mark of a Spiderblood.” She continues, a chuckle in her voice.

 

In this society, Spiderbloods are hunted for profit and as a near-unkillable test subject. Victims of a virus transmitted by a rare alien spider, Spiderbloods develop a silver spiderweb-like tattoo where the spider bite occurs and later develop near-immortality and unusual supernatural abilities. Runners, although also possessing supernatural abilities, lack immortality and have far less power than Spiderbloods. Runners also have a chip implanted in their arm upon becoming a Runner, which allows the Runner to develop supernatural abilities, called Legacies.

 

Poltergeist’s grin widens. “So how’d you manage to get away with not having a chip, hm?” She murmurs as though talking to White Dog face-to-face.

 

Kat’s dark brown eyebrows lower over her sapphire eyes, glittering with concern. “Poltergeist. You’re making odd faces again.”

 

Poltergeist blinks, the smile fading from her face. “Was I? I’m sorry.”

 

Kat waves a translucent hand. “No, no, don’t worry about it. I know you’re interested in something for once, and that’s rare for you.”

 

Poltergeist hums thoughtfully, then flops down on the couch sideways. She draws her knees up onto the couch with a yawn, the bags under her eyes seeming to grow darker. “I’m gonna nap for a bit. If any spirits come by, tell them to piss off. I haven’t slept in three days.” She mutters tiredly, her eyes already closed.

 

She just catches Kat’s affirmative voice before drifting off into the tantalizing embrace of sleep.

 

************************

“Frick, that Kestrel managed to escape?”

 

“Yeah. You’d never think someone that physically weak could get out of there unscathed.”

 

Two Runners, holding their masks in their hands, speak to one another. One with tan skin and fluffy black hair, the other with pale, freckled cheeks and blonde, undercut hair. The blonde snorts incredulously, causing the scar across the bridge of his nose to crinkle slightly. “How the hell did she manage to take out six armed guards?”

 

The black-haired Runner, Hitashi, shrugs. “I don’t know. Apparently, when they reviewed the security footage, her face was blurred by static and her voice was distorted. Then it dissolved into static at one point and when it resumed, all that remained were the detective and the six wounded guards.”

 

The blonde lets out an irritated ‘tch’ and pushes his fringe out of his face. “Fuck, that probably means they’re gonna dispatch us again. I was hoping to grab something to eat first.”

 

With an amused sigh, Hitashi reaches into the satchel slung across his shoulders and laughs, “You don’t need to worry. I brought food today just in case we got called out again.”

 

Violet eyes grow wide as the blonde whispers, _“Oh my God. Hitashi, you’re like the mom I never had.”_

 

Hitashi laughs, pulling out a granola bar and handing it to the blonde. “Well, you never think to bring snacks or anything so I suppose that task falls on my shoulders.”

 

With a ravenous look in his eyes, the blonde tears open the granola bar and starts wolfing it down. Hitashi lets out a yelp and holds up his hands. “Avery, don’t eat so fast! You’ll choke!”

 

Avery reluctantly slows down, settling for small bites at a time as Hitashi heaves a sigh of relief. Around a mouthful of granola bar, Avery mumbles, “Y’know, you worry too much. Your hair’s gonna turn white.”

 

“If you’d stop doing dumb things, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry so much!” Hitashi retorts, emerald eyes glittering.

 

Avery smirks, opening his mouth to shoot something back, but the transceiver at Hitashi’s waist crackles to life and a tinny voice cuts through. _“White Dog, do you copy?”_

__

Hitashi reaches down, bringing the radio to his mouth and responding, “Yeah. What can we do for you?”

 

_“Kestrel Poltergeist’s general location has been determined. Take Nightmare and try hunting Poltergeist down. Make sure she’s brought in alive.”_

__

“Gotcha. We’ll do what we can.” Hitashi finishes, re-attaching the transceiver to the belt at his waist. He brings his gaze up to Avery, who crams the rest of the granola bar in his mouth and slips his mask back on over his face.

 

Reminiscent of Jason Voorhees’ infamous hockey mask, Avery wears a similar one. It’s mainly just a re-purposed hockey mask, but Avery loved old horror movies and wanted to pay tribute to one of his favourite horror films. Granted, it wasn’t really a mask suited for someone who did rather heroic things, but it _did_ strike fear in the hearts of his targets. Hence the alias ‘Nightmare’.

 

Hitashi’s mask, on the other hand, was a white gas mask painted like the face of a dog, with fiberglass ears crafted atop it. As he slides it on, he ensures the straps of it are tight enough to prevent the mask from falling down.

 

As Hitashi zips up his sleeveless white hoodie, Avery pauses and looks him up and down somewhat thoughtfully. Then, he moves closer and adjusts the blue and white-striped bandanna around Hitashi’s neck.

 

“Your mark is showing.” Avery mutters, and Hitashi heaves a sigh of relief.

 

Hitashi had been a Runner for so long, it was easy to forget that he was also a Spiderblood in hiding. The silver spiderweb tattoo spanning across his left collarbone was easily hidden with the bandanna and hoodie he wore, but it still managed to peer out once in a while. Avery, despite being hotheaded and stubborn, was also ever-attentive and often worried more than Hitashi did.

 

He was a large part of the reason Hitashi hadn’t yet been found out.

 

Satisfied with his work, Avery glances up and lightly punches Hitashi’s shoulder. “C’mon. Lets catch that Kestrel.”

 

Hitashi nods, following Avery out of the Runners’ Bar, a gathering place for Runners of all sorts to convene and relax between missions. Dozens of masked faces swamp the inside of the building, and the raucous cacophony of laughter and voices of all ages is almost painful. Hitashi lets out a breath through his lips, trying to deal with the looming threat of a headache. Avery taps his shoulder once, and he turns to see his scarred, freckled hands moving in a rapid string of gestures.

 

_||Are you ok?||_

__

Hitashi gestures back.

 

_||Yes, I’m fine. It’s just a bit too loud.||_

_||You can cover your ears if you want.||_

_||I’m all right.||_

__

Avery nods once, weaving through the scads of Runners in the bar and leading the way out into the street. Run-down, brick and wood buildings line the narrow cobblestone road, packed tightly together like sardines in a can, for lack of a better term. The breeze is chilly and brings with it the scent of greasy food being made somewhere to the right. Hitashi feels a slight tug in his chest as he recalls the fresh, rain-scented air of the dense jungles outside Arlin.

 

There’s nothing he can do about it, though. Nobody is allowed outside the city unless given a task outside the walls. With a quick glance to his left at Avery, he catches a glimpse of him heaving a heavy sigh as he looks at the map coordinates on his PDA.

 

 _He misses it too _,__ Hitashi thinks to himself.

 

As if sensing Hitashi’s thoughts, Avery glances back at him, places the PDA in his pocket, and gestures again.

 

_||Let’s go.||_

__

Avery breaks into a run, Hitashi matching his stride step-for-step. WIth a quiet grunt of effort, Avery leaps for the side of a building and pulls himself up using almost-nonexistent handholds and crannies to slink up it, as silently and gracefully as a cat. Hitashi follows, trying his best to keep up, but still lags behind a bit. When it comes to parkour and mobility, Avery has him beat.

 

Avery waits for him, though, his knees slightly bent and a gloved-hand outstretched to assist Hitashi up the side of the building. Hitashi nods gratefully, taking his hand and staggering to his feet, panting.

 

Avery snorts, gesturing to him.

 

_||You’re slow. And out of shape.||_

__

Hitashi lets out a huff of annoyance, gesturing back.

 

_||At least I’m not as short as you.||_

__

Avery throws a punch, but Hitashi sidesteps and breaks away into a run across the roof of the building. It’s not hard to feel a slight thrill of fear as Avery’s rapid footsteps patter up behind him, finally overtaking him with ridiculous ease. Avery leaps from the roof of this building to the plywood-reinforced roof of the next building, not even bothering to look behind him. Hitashi follows suit, and feels his heart stop briefly when a cracking sound reverberates up from the roof. Some unimpressed civilian inside shouts out a string of curses, followed by ‘ _you damned Runner trash!’_ And Avery laughs.

 

Hitashi tries to pick up speed as he follows the distinct navy blue, sleeveless parka and golden-blonde hair of Avery, but he’s already going as fast as he can without risking injury from jumping across rooftops. He screws up his mouth behind his mask, already feeling his lungs ache from effort. As he flicks his gaze back up to Avery, he watches the blonde let out an exhilarated yell and leap across a ridiculously wide gap between buildings, even managing to execute a flawless frontflip before his feet come in contact with the next building.

 

Avery stops then, violet eyes glittering behind his mask as he wedges his hands in his pockets. Hitashi barely makes the jump, and stops in front of Avery, panting heavily. With shaky hands, he manages to form a gesture.

 

_||Showoff.||_

__

Avery laughs, gesturing back.

 

_||You just suck.||_

__

Hitashi hopes Avery can see the scowl he’s making behind the dog-faced mask. He’s unsure, because either way, Avery gestures, _||Try to keep up, dummy||_ and breaks away across the rooftops again. Hitashi groans inwardly.

 

_You’re gonna kill me before we even get there._

 

He reluctantly breaks into a run again, following Avery along the city’s rooftops as best he can for another five minutes. It’s at this time that Hitashi finally catches up with Avery, his breath coming in labored gasps as the blonde inspects his PDA again. Avery looks as though he just jogged a leisurely kilometer, whereas Hitashi looks like he was just forced to run a marathon. Avery glances over his shoulder, putting the PDA back in his pocket and gesturing.

 

_||You should really start coming to work out with me instead of sitting on your butt all day.||_

__

_||I’m good.||_

__

_||You’re not good. You look like an eighty year old man with asthma.||_

_||And you look like a blonde gremlin.||_

__

Avery groans and swats Hitashi, who recoils in surprise.

 

_||Whatever. Anyways, we’re in the area we’re supposed to be in.||_

__

Hitashi straightens up, taking in the area around them from their perch atop an old supermarket of some sort. There were some nicer apartment complexes and rather beautiful houses, but the place was mainly made up of places to shop. Of course, there are always a few degenerate-looking apartments and homes scattered throughout the nicer area, but this place looks ridiculously nice. Far too nice for a dangerous Kestrel like Poltergeist to be hiding out.

 

Hitashi taps Avery’s shoulder to get his attention before gesturing.

 

_||So what do we do now?||_

__

Avery pauses for a moment, seemingly deep in thought, before gesturing back.

 

_||We can sit out here for a bit and focus on the news reports in this area for any leads. After the sun goes down, it’ll probably be a good idea to start searching around for Poltergeist.||_

__

Hitashi nods.

 

_||Jeez, is there anything you’re not good at?||_

_||Yeah. A lot of things. I’m just good at mobility and strategy.||_

__

Hitashi drops it there. Avery’s never been very good at taking compliments and is ridiculously hard on himself, despite the way he comes off. After five years of living together, however, he’s learned a few things about Avery from the blonde’s own mouth. One being that he was actually born a girl. That was indeed a shock, but it wasn’t that hard for him to accept. Avery was still Avery and that was that.

 

The second thing he learned is that Avery never grew up with proper parents. This was because Avery’s mother had been a Fenya, a race of humanoid alien, and his father was a high ranking soldier under the Council of Seven. Neither of them could raise Avery, and Avery’s guardian had passed away when he was just nine years old.

 

Avery whacks his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts and pulling him back to reality.

 

_||Stop thinking about useless things. I don’t know what you’re thinking about but it’s probably something about me. Drop it.||_

__

_||Sorry.||_

__

_||It’s okay.||_

__

Hitashi sits down, crossing his legs and closing his eyes as he attempts to focus on regaining his breath. Avery walks closer to the edge of the building, teetering on the edge with the toes of his gray and black skater shoes hanging over the edge. Hitashi can’t see his face, but he’s seen the way the blonde stands on the roof of their small apartment. He’s almost certain the boy’s eyes are closed and his lips are curved upward with the ghost of a smile.

 

Hitashi watches Avery for a moment before flopping down on his back and letting out a sigh. Above them, the sky is streaked with gold and pink and the ghostly white silhouette of the gas planet Hadrigen is becoming easier to see. Its silver rings askew at a slight angle, it looks remarkably similar to the distant planet Saturn, from what Hitashi knows, and it covers a huge amount of the sky. Even farther than that, the shapes of Hadrigen’s three moons are just barely visible.

 

Hitashi smiles behind his mask.

 

_This planet is probably the most gorgeous one out there._

__

***********************

Poltergeist is awoken at one in the morning by an irritating scratching sound at the window. Rubbing sleep from her eyes with a muttered string of curses, she turns her head to see an amber-eyed ghost floating there. It’s a young man’s ghost, maybe in his mid-twenties, and his face looks nervous. His brown hair flutters a bit in the wind, and he shivers a bit, but Poltergeist just groans and rolls back over.

 

Kat’s not there either, which means she’s on her own with this one.

 

The scratching continues, and Poltergeist mutters a groggy, “ _Fuuuuuuck _.”__ Before pulling her hood up and hoping the ghost just goes away.

 

Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

 

There are ice-cold fingers tapping on her shoulder, and a tentative voice. “H-hey…you’re the one…who can see us, right?”

 

_“Unfortunately, yes.”_

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

That statement strikes a guilty chord in Poltergeist, and she pulls her hood off. Rubbing her eyes, she sits up with a yawn.

 

“Don’t apologize. I’m just a grade-A douchebag. What’s the problem you need my help with?”

 

The ghost’s face grows relieved, and he rubs the back of his neck as he murmurs, “I…I recently passed away. As-as a Runner. I have, um…I have a pet snake. I don’t want her to starve, but I can’t get her out of her cage now. Do you think, um, do you think you could find a home for her?”

 

Poltergeist’s eyebrows raise just a bit at that. “How long ago did you…”

 

The ghost lowers his head, a somber expression on his face. “Last night. I was…um, I was planning to become a Kestrel. But…yeah. You probably know what happens to Kestrels.”

 

Poltergeist rises to her feet, hands in her pockets as her face takes on a rare look of sympathy. With a lopsided but genuine smile, she offers her hand to the ghost. “Yeah.”

 

The ghost smiles gratefully, taking her hand briefly. Then, he clears his throat and floats towards the window again. Poltergeist follows him, and it’s then that the ghost widens his eyes. “Hey, we can go out the door if it’s easier-”

 

With an amused snort, Poltergeist grabs a set of fingerless gloves from their spot on a dusty TV stand, next to a decent-sized (and surprisingly undamaged) TV. Stretching her arms above her head, she tries to shake off the last shadows of sleep’s hold. Now satisfied, Poltergeist slips on the gloves and digs around in a plastic bin of socks. At the bottom, she finds a package of disposable face masks and pulls one over her face. Once she’s finished doing that, she pulls on her red and white sneakers and heads back to the window.

 

“I was a Runner at one point, y’know. Parkour is fun shit.”

 

The ghost opens his mouth to speak, but thinks better of it and stops himself. As Poltergeist slides the window open and perches on the edge, the breeze buffeting her short hair around her face, the ghost begins leading the way. Floating through the sky with a smile on his face, the ghost watches Poltergeist jump, flip, and sprint through empty streets, dark alleys and along rooftops.

 

She enjoys this too, this feeling of endless freedom, the chilly breeze wrapping around her skin, and the moments she leaps between buildings. It’s as close as she’ll ever get to truly _flying_ and that’s enough for her. For Poltergeist, running through the city like this, unhindered, is absolute bliss.

 

She has to hold back a whoop of excitement, knowing it’ll be bad for her if she’s found out.

 

That thought’s just crossing her mind when the ghost’s form flickers for a moment and he lets out a yell.

 

Poltergeist narrowly misses being tackled by someone in a white dog mask-oh. Skidding to a halt, Poltergeist faces the Runner, White Dog. On her left, Nightmare darts up over the side of the building and readies himself in a fighting stance. Narrowing her eyes, a stress headache starting to form in the middle of her forehead, her face slips into its default ‘I’m so tired of this shit’ expression.

 

“ _Really_ , guys? Fucking _really?_ It’s one-thirty in the morning.” She groans, tilting her head back in exasperation.

 

Nightmare glances at White Dog, making a few rapid hand gestures. White Dog responds with a string of his own hand gestures, and Poltergeist’s patience begins to wear even thinner.

 

“For the love of- _I TALK TO THE DEAD. I USE SIGN LANGUAGE. I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU CHUCKLEHEADS ARE SAYING.”_ She snaps, praying to God she’s dreaming.

 

Both boys’ faces snap back to Poltergeist, who wedges her hands in her pockets.

 

“Now, we can either talk this out in a civilized manner like adults, or we can beat the tobacco juice out of each other like a bunch of fucking animals. Which’ll it be?” She asks, in a mockingly cheerful voice.

 

The Runners exchange a glance, and White Dog gestures to Nightmare.

 

_||Is it ok? She knows what we’re saying in sign, but is it ok to talk?||_

__

With a snort, Nightmare signs back.

 

_||Her attitude is shit. I say we knock her out and drag her back.||_

__

_||I’m sure we can talk this out!||_

__

“FUCK _ME _,__ CAN YOU THICK-HEADED DUMBASSES TALK TO EACH OTHER LIKE NORM-” Poltergeist once again catches wind of White Dog’s scent.

 

_Spiderblood _._ _

__

With a huff of laughter, Poltergeist signs to them both.

 

_||I see. That’s why you use sign. White Dog’s a Spiderblood. Can’t risk letting the higher-ups know you aren’t entirely human, right?||_

__

Nightmare takes a threatening step forward, and Poltergeist catches a glimpse of violet eyes glittering behind the hockey mask. Letting out an amused, ‘ _ahhhh’_ , Poltergeist signs again.

 

_||And judging by your eyes, you’re a half-breed.||_

__

Nightmare signs, his anger evident in the fierceness with which he moves his hands.

 

_||Shut your fucking mouth.||_

_||But I’m not using my mouth, am I?||_

__

Nightmare starts forward, Poltergeist holding her ground as casually as if she were talking to a close friend. She can see what’s going to happen. She can see it in the way White Dog braces himself and holds out his hands in Nightmare’s direction. His hands an inch from Poltergeist’s face, Nightmare is frozen in place, body shaking from the effort of trying to move. Poltergeist tilts her head, glancing around the blonde at the dog-faced boy. Her hands move in gestures again.

 

_||Ah. Telekinesis, huh? That’s a nice Legacy to have.||_

__

White Dog lets out an irritated hiss. Poltergeist pushes her luck.

 

In one swift motion, she swipes a hand out and flips the hockey mask clean off Nightmare’s face. White Dog gasps in shock, and Poltergeist is greeted by two wide violet eyes and freckled cheeks marred by a single, broad scar. White Dog pulls Nightmare back towards him, catching the hockey mask with his Legacy before it hits the ground. Finally, he releases Nightmare and floats his mask back towards him.

 

Nightmare wastes no time in yanking it back over his face, and White Dog signs to Poltergeist.

 

_||You said we could talk this out like civilized people and you pull that crap.||_

__

_||Hey, I didn’t make a single move to injure you. Blondie there tried to rip my damn face off, and you almost tackled me. If anything, I’m being more civilized than the two of you combined.||_

__

White Dog ceases to speak, evidently silenced by Poltergeist’s point. It’s then that Poltergeist resumes speaking using her voice. “You shouldn’t need to worry about what I’m saying being recorded. You see, I’m a bit different from anything you've seen before.”

 

White Dog speaks, his voice more gentle and calm than Poltergeist expected, looking at his height and toned shoulders. “What do you mean by that?”

 

_Why is his voice somewhat familiar?_

 

“I mean, I’m not supposed to exist.”

 

“Elaborate, you fucking idiot!” Nightmare spits venomously, to which Poltergeist responds with a withering glance and a sigh of,

 

“Being able to see the dead is a Legacy I received through means other than an implanted chip. I’m an existence halfway between the living and the dead, so I technically can’t one hundred percent exist in either plane of existence. Right now, the APD is probably staring at your locators and squinting because they’re glitching and jumping from random location to random location. Oh, and your transceivers are probably only getting thick static. That’s all you’re getting from me.”

 

White Dog and Nightmare exchange a glance before White Dog glances back at Poltergeist and asks, in a tone gentle enough to make Poltergeist want to back up a few steps, “Don’t you, um, don’t you have any friends? You can’t just be some lonely person who talks to ghosts-”

 

“Surprise, surprise, I _am_ just some lonely person who talks to ghosts. No living friends in sight. Don’t need ‘em.”

 

This conversation is steering in directions Poltergeist absolutely _does not like _.__ Her eyebrows lower over her eyes.

 

_Why am I so eager to talk to these shitheads?_

__

Is it the vague familiarity White Dog gives off, or something? She hears a vague shout behind her, recognizing Kat’s voice. Nightmare seems to notice Poltergeist’s brief glance to the side, because he braces himself.

 

“There’s a ghost here, isn’t there?”

 

“There’s dead people and spirits _everywhere_ , dude. But yeah.”

 

_I’m talking too much._

__

With a deep breath, Poltergeist yawns, “Well, I’m done dealing with you guys. I’ve got shit to do.”

 

Now, Nightmare moves forward and Poltergeist can see from the way White Dog doesn’t move that he’s going to allow Nightmare to grab her this time. With a reluctant groan, Poltergeist sidesteps the blonde’s grasp and leaps off the side of the building.

 

The pavement rushes up at her at blinding speed, but she grabs the railing of someone’s balcony and slows her descent slightly. Her feet hit the ground hard, sending waves of pain up her shins, but that’s a trivial matter at the moment. Pelting away at ridiculous speed, she takes numerous sidestreets, alleys, and detours, trying to lose the vague hum of the two Runners’ auras behind her. With a vague smirk, she can sense the slight blue-grey tinge of confusion and orange exasperation creeping into their auras. She slows to a jog, then to a walk before stopping under a bus shelter. Of course, no buses are running at this unholy hour of the night, but it’s as good a place as any to try catching her breath. She focuses her attention, trying to make sense of the auras milling about a good half-mile away.

 

They don’t seem to be getting any closer, but they aren’t getting any farther, either. After weighing the pros and cons in her head, she comes to the conclusion that this is a good thing. She lets herself relax, but her mind’s drifting back to White Dog’s words.

 

_The hell was he going on about? What did having friends have to do with that situation at all?_

__

In the back of her head, a tiny voice pipes up, ‘ _ _Y_ eah, I should have some living friends, _’__ but Poltergeist scoffs, shoving the thought out of her head with a frown. She knows exactly why she doesn’t have living friends, why she _can’t_ have living friends. The reason is very large, and rather tragic, Poltergeist thinks with a self-deprecating laugh.

 

She chooses not to think about it.

 

Instead, she casts her voice out in the realm of the dead, a second plane of existence, if you will. Instead of using her human voice, she shouts into the second plane, where the dead and spirits reside.

 

_**Kat, where are you?!** _

__

She waits for a response for a moment, then turns her head when she catches sight of the pink-haired ghost floating over a neighbouring building, next to the young man’s ghost. With a sigh, Poltergeist switches back to communicating on the first plane of existence, in human tongue.

 

“Seriously, where the hell were you?” Poltergeist asks, using more of a tired tone than an upset one.

 

Kat lowers her gaze, eyebrows lowering pensively as concern threads itself through her expression. Poltergeist tilts her head a bit, raising an eyebrow and pulling down the medical mask in front of her face. “What? What’s wrong?” she asks in concern.

 

Kat runs her fingers through her pink hair with a heavy sigh before raising her gaze. “Didn’t…didn’t you recognize him?”

 

“Who? You’re being really vague, man.”

 

“White Dog.”

 

Poltergeist brings a hand to her chin as her eyes glitter thoughtfully, her mind drifting back to the boy in the dog mask. Yeah, he’d seemed sort of familiar in a weird…well, in some sort of way. If Poltergeist knew the boy, she’d have recognized his aura…unless…

 

“Kat, can you explain what you mean?” Poltergeist asks, slowly, guardedly.

 

“Well…he was…do you remember when you were littler? When I was still alive?”

 

“Y-yeah…?” Poltergeist does _not_ like where this is going. Anything pertaining to the past, before she’d escaped Block 7, was not good at all. It must show on her face, because Kat’s expression twists in sympathy, and she hesitates before murmuring,

 

“That boy I mentored, the one your age, remember him?”

 

“Yeah. He’s dead.” Poltergeist replies, her tone low and cold as ice.

 

_Don’t say anything._

 

“He took off his mask with Nightmare, and…White Dog is your old Runner partner, Hitashi Kenjirou.”

 

Poltergeist swallows hard, once. Yes, she’s sure she’s only swallowed once, despite the way her throat opens and closes and her mouth feels dry. She’s calm. Yeah. She’s calm enough to hear her heartbeat in her ears-was it always that fast?

 

Poltergeist forces her stiff, unresponsive lips to move, “What the hell are you smoking? He was human and I saw him eviscerated and decapitated right before my-” she snaps her mouth shut.

 

Why’s her stomach so turbulent? Oh, that’s nausea. Stress nausea. It’s been a while since she experienced this. Oh boy. Those are memories coming back. _Memories are never good._ Time to repress every emotion and thought until the panic attack stops-no, this isn’t a panic attack. She’s fine.

 

_I’m FINE._

__

“Poltergeist? Are you oka-”

 

Poltergeist doesn’t hear Kat finish, because her head is pounding and there’s something crushing her chest like a thousand pounds of rubble, the wall around her is collapsing and she’s being _crushed _.__

 

It’s dark, and for a moment, there’s silence.

 

Then there’s hard pavement on the side of her face, pain radiating from dozens of different points on her body and her body just…

 

…oh. She’s shut down completely.

 

**********************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this came out all right! I'm trying to explore a more in-depth writing style but I don't know how well it's turned out ; v ;


	3. morality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro finds himself questioning what he's done up until this point, what he's currently doing, and trying to make some sense of what he should do in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooooo boiiiii this took FOREVER to finish I apologize to the...six people who read this. ANYWAYS.
> 
> [A White Dog and Nightmare](https://fandom-mutt.tumblr.com/post/166985030051/i-love-these-boys-sm-i-cry-edit-yea-i-realized) by fandom-mutt!
> 
> TY FOR THE FANART I CRI

Since the incident the day prior, Hiro hasn’t been able to stop thinking about what Poltergeist had said.

_I can see the dead._

It wasn’t entirely impossible, seeing as Poltergeist happens to be a Spiderblood, but the sudden, spontaneous realization that there’s life after death is the real issue being wildly discussed among the Council of Seven. Hiro had been promptly dismissed on the verge of a mental breakdown after Poltergeist’s horrifying display and not told when he’d be called back.

Sighing, he runs a hand through his wavy black hair. He’s currently standing in a shop full of various trinkets and candies, named _Wyvern Gifts & Candy_ and looking for something small to fiddle with in his hands until his anxiety had subsided. He’s reaching for a small tin ball with exposed gears and switches when a girl’s voice reaches him.

“That’s a pretty one, huh?” he jumps, glancing to his right to see a girl around eighteen or nineteen years old standing there. Her hands are laced behind her back, curly blonde and brown hair held over her shoulder with a star-shaped hairclip. Her eyes are a strange light purple colour and both pupils are slitted like a cat’s.

“Mm-hm.” Hiro mumbles, noticing darker flecks of violet and a few of golden-amber in her irises.

The girl moves closer, a sweet smile leaving dimples in her freckled cheeks. She reaches a hand up, taking the ball Hiro had been reaching for and turning it over in her hands. Nodding, she offers it to him with a chirp of, “I’m guessing you have anxiety and want something to help it.”

“H-how-?” Hiro splutters, pale green eyes wide behind his glasses.

The girl chuckles, pointing to her nose. “I can smell it. You’ve reeked of fear and nerves ever since you entered my store!”

Hiro kicks himself mentally. _Right _._ No human has eyes like hers. She’s a half-breed._

The girl cocks her head at him curiously with a lopsided smile. “I suppose I should introduce myself, though,” she offers her right hand to him, and he notices several bracelets around her wrists, many made with children’s beads.

“I’m Aspen Tralow, owner of _Wyvern Gifts & Candy_ and resident alien. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” the girl introduces with a gentle smile.

After a moment’s hesitation, Hiro takes her hand in his right and murmurs, “Hiro Kenjirou. Ex-Runner and now, detective for the Council of Seven.”

Aspen’s eyes spark with a somber emotion - reminiscence or sorrow - and she hums slowly. Brushing off her apron, she murmurs, “An ex-Runner, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve met a Runner old and experienced enough to have retired alive.”

“It’s an occupational hazard, I suppose.” Hiro says, heaving a heavy sigh. Once again, he feels the papers in his hands declaring his only living relative, his younger brother, killed in action. Even after seven years, it’s not any easier to think about. His breaths grow shaky and Aspen notices.

She reaches forward, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder and giving him an understanding smile. “From one ex-Runner to another, I fully understand.”

Hiro’s head jerks up. “You’re so young! Why- how did you-”

“I retired after watching my squad murdered in front of me.” She says simply, as though it’s no more than a footnote in the grand scheme of things. For a moment, Hiro’s struck silent by the flippancy of her tone. However, he notices the way the girl’s shoulders tense and her eyes change from bright and warm to cold and distant.

He shifts in his dark green jacket, fiddling with the material of the red bandanna around his neck. Slowly, he murmurs, “I’m…I can’t believe...I’m so sorry.”

Aspen takes a deep breath, shrugging. “It’s nothing you need to worry about. I’m also convinced one of them survived. Maybe two. I keep catching vague strains of their scents around the city, but it’s rare.”

Hiro opens his mouth, then shuts it again. Running a hand through his hair, he lets out a long, slow sigh. “Still, that can’t have been easy.”

Aspen lets out a soft hum, nodding thoughtfully. She takes a moment to speak again, but when she does, Hiro is abruptly shocked.

“All I can say is, don’t trust everything you hear from the Council of Seven.”

Hiro grasps her shoulder, leaning forward and hissing, _“Don’t speak so easily about treasonous things!”_

At his words, Aspen narrows her eyes and murmurs, “Believe what you want, but I’m telling you the truth when I say that I personally saw the leader of the Council of Seven standing atop the back of a Tyraun when it killed my squad. Go ahead and believe that this society is a perfect utopia. It’s led by a man who’d kill children no more than twelve years old for one of their friends asking an innocent question.”

Hiro’s stomach twists, sending a vile taste crawling up his throat. He momentarily uses his Legacy, noticing with grim finality that Aspen isn’t lying at all.

For a moment, he thinks about all those civilians he’s seen rounded up and dragged into the depths of the Council of Seven’s headquarters. His mind wanders once again to the thick, black smoke that billows from the smokestacks leading from the deepest floors. The distinct scent of burning flesh and hair-

“You’re thinking about what you’ve seen,” Aspen pulls him from his thoughts and he stares at her with wide eyes, “Good. That means you haven’t been completely brainwashed into following him like a dog.”

“I…”

Aspen carefully grasps his wrist and removes it from her shoulder. With a gentle dip of her head, she murmurs, “I trust you won’t out me to the Council of Seven,” she casually crosses her arms in front of her, “But I assume both you and I knew Hitashi Kenjirou and Micah Canis.”

Hiro’s sure his blood stops flowing in his veins, jaw dropping open in shock.

_She knew my brother._

“Hitashi Kenjirou was like my own sibling. I think you and I met at one point, too. I was going under the alias ‘Mouse’. You were…the Runner called ‘Raven’?” Aspen reflects, eyes glinting with equal parts curiosity and opportunity, like a cat watching a bird.

_Mouse is a fairly inaccurate name…she’s more like a predator than anything else._

“Y-yes. I was mostly a soldier who ran around counting bodies and recording deaths.”

“Ah, I see.” Aspen holds her chin in her hand, thumb pressing into her freckled cheek for a moment before she murmurs, “You know…if you want answers, you should talk to Micah. She’s got a really incredible Legacy. She could probably help you out if you’re not a prick to her.”

“Didn’t you say she died?”

Aspen shakes her head, letting out a soft laugh. “I’d know if my own girlfriend was dead or not. There’s also the fact that she’s also not entirely human. She’s kind of… _immortal _.__ ”

Hiro needs to take a moment to process.

First of all, he’s completely shocked by the ease with which Aspen admits her sexuality. Something like that is ridiculously dangerous to admit in this society. Second, he’s dumbstruck by the fact that Aspen also happens to be in a relationship with a…

“Before you say anything, no, she’s not exactly a Spiderblood,” Aspen interrupts his thoughts, holding up a hand that Hiro now notices is marred with scars.

“Then what…?”

“You’ll have to ask her yourself. If she wants to tell you, she will. If she doesn’t, she won’t.” She sighs, shrugging.

“Okay, then how would I find her?”

Aspen’s mouth quirks into a wry smile and she wedges her hands in the pockets of her baggy sweat pants. “You met her yesterday during an interrogation. She was the subject.”

Once again, Hiro’s jaw drops and Aspen snickers. Turning back towards the sound of the bell ringing at the door, she waves at Hiro. “I hope you find your brother, Hiro! Just remember, the Council of Seven isn’t exactly what you think it is.”

She leaves him with that, and he bounces the small tin gadget in his hand thoughtfully. Her voice is easily heard from another part of the store, but Hiro’s thoughts are currently flying around in his head like flies in a jar. On one hand, his loyalty to the Council of Seven is telling him to rat out Aspen and tell the higher-ups about Poltergeist’s real name. On the other hand, however, his moral compass tells him to adhere to Aspen’s words.

His moral compass wins out and he leaves the store, catching Aspen’s eye one last time as the door closes.

He expects to have a difficult time finding Poltergeist.

The last thing he expects is to find two bright-eyed feral children carrying her unconscious body towards a decrepit old warehouse.

********************

Poltergeist awakens to the rather irritating sensation of a tiny finger poking her nose. Swatting at the newcomer’s hand, she furrows her brow and rubs at her eyes. When she finally opens them, she sees the wide-eyed face of a ten-year-old boy, with dirt-streaked cheeks and wild black hair. Upon noticing her open eyes, the boy flashes a broad, gaptoothed grin and exclaims, “You’re not dead!”

“Of course I’m not dead. I can’t die, you brat.” Poltergeist mutters, the corner of her mouth quirking into a lopsided smile.

As she sits up, she notices that she’s no longer where she lost consciousness, but in a ramshackle old warehouse laden with filthy, bright-eyed children of all ages. The boy who’d been sitting next to Poltergeist cups his grubby hands around his mouth and turns, shouting, _“GUYS LOOK, GHOSTIE ISN’T DEAD!!”_

Poltergeist stifles a snicker as the children start clamoring, running closer with broad grins. These kids, once orphaned or targeted by the Council of Seven, were all brought to this warehouse by Poltergeist herself, starting three years prior with the boy who’d woken her up. It had started with a pair of married ghosts coming to her begging for her help finding their orphaned son a home. The boy, Leo, had stuck to her side like glue for a few months before more ghosts started approaching her about lost children and she’d run out of room in her apartment to house them. Now, she had them live in this warehouse on the outskirts of the city near her apartment, close to the wall, and dropped by often to check on them and bring them the necessary supplies.

As for the name “Ghostie”, well, she’d let it slip once that she could see ghosts and spirits and since ‘Poltergeist’ was hard for kids to pronounce, the name Ghostie stuck.

About thirty small children between ages five and twelve now mill around Poltergeist, all speaking at once and asking countless questions. Standing up from where she’d been lying on a mound of blankets, Poltergeist shouts, “All right, all right! I don’t have anything for you guys right now, but I’ll bring something! I need to talk to Leo first!”

A cacophony of groans follows, but the older children start herding the rest back to the maze of shelving and boxes of toys and supplies at the far end of the warehouse. The loud voices of the children fades into a distant babble, and kids start climbing shelves, looking for things to play with. Poltergeist heaves a sigh, rubbing at her temples with a grin at Leo.

“Now do you know how I felt when I had fifteen of you animals in my apartment?” She teases, and the little boy shrugs.

“S’all right. The big kids help out n’ stuff. They also been findin’ stuff all over th’ place.” He grins. “Lotsa toys, n’ the other day Gillian found a whole box a’ candy!”

“A whole box, huh?”

“A whole box! It was them gummy ones that look like th’ earth bears!”

Poltergeist lowers herself into a cross-legged sitting position, eyes wide and her chin resting on the palm of her hand. “Wow, you hit the jackpot there, huh? It’s tough to find gummy bears around here.”

“I know! But also how did you end up sleepin’ in th’ street? That’s dumb.” He changes the subject abruptly, which is something Poltergeist’s now used to after having dealt with an absurd number of small children for this long.

Raising her head from her hand, Poltergeist quirks an eyebrow. “You honestly think I’d sleep in the middle of the open like that? Like some homeless bum?”

“Yep.”

“Fair enough. I can’t really argue with that,” Poltergeist hums, thinking for a moment that she may need to reconsider her sleeping habits, “But I had an issue with some Runners. They chased me for a long time and I fainted.”

It’s not entirely true, but it’s not entirely false either. White Dog and Nightmare had been the cause of her panic attack and subsequent loss of consciousness, but she wasn’t about to tell Leo about her panic attack.

Leo widens his eyes, jabbing a fist into the air above Poltergeist’s head. “Didja kick their butts?”

“N-not really? I ran away since one of them had a really powerful Legacy. They never caught me, though.” Poltergeist explains.

Leo leaps to his feet, grinning excitedly. “They didn’t beat you then! That means you won n’ kicked their butts!!”

Poltergeist smirks at his enthusiasm, feeling her stress lift off her shoulders. “I guess so.”

Leo starts babbling about how he wants to ‘kick a bunch of Runner butt’ when he gets bigger, and a few of the smaller children start wandering closer with curious expressions, so Poltergeist decides to ask a question of her own before being positively swarmed. “Hey Leo, how did you get me here?”

“Hm?” He pauses, then cocks his head, “Oh, Jared n’ Alice was out lookin’ for stuff to play with n’ found you sleepin’ so they was bringin’ you back. Then this dude with one arm came by and helped ‘em out. Jared said he was a really cool guy and now he’s hangin’ out with him.”

“Some guy? Did he tell anyone his name?” Poltergeist asks, now intrigued.

Leo shrugs before reaching up to scratch at his head. “I dunno. Jared n’ Alice were th’ only ones who talked t’ him.”

“Where are they now?”

“Jared’s prob’ly fightin’ rats behind th’ warehouse ‘cuz they keep stealin’ food. The guy went with him t’ help. Alice might be sleepin’ on the roof ‘cuz it’s sunny out today.” Leo replies before pulling a butterfly knife from his pocket, about to flail it around.

Poltergeist jumps forward, grabbing it out of his hand with probably the most panicked expression she’s made in her life. _“LEO, FOR GOD’S SAKES, YOU’RE GONNA POKE AN EYE OUT.”_

Leo gives her a shit-eating grin, laughing as he knits his fingers together behind his back and hops backwards. “Finders’ Keepers!” He giggles, dodging Poltergeist’s hands as she tries to grab him and make sure he hasn’t cut himself.

 _“FINDERS’ KEEPERS DOESN’T COUNT IF YOU TOOK IT OUT OF MY DAMN POCKET.”_ Poltergeist hisses, watching in agitation as Leo races away, giggling.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Poltergeist lets out a groan.

_I have no idea how parents do it._

In a way, Poltergeist thinks, she’s become the parental figure for all these orphans. It wasn’t her choice and she’s not sure she’s doing anything right, but she’s all they have. So if the kids’ parents aren’t happy with her parenting techniques, they’re gonna have to suck it up.

“Since nobody else wants these kids alive.” She mutters, voicing the last part of her thoughts.

She runs a hand through her hair, heading for the plywood-covered hole leading to the back of the warehouse. It’s best she pushes these thoughts out of her head. Thinking about pessimistic things only makes those things more likely, and speaking them practically guarantees it. She crawls through the hole, placing the strip of termite-eaten plywood back over the opening.

The sky above is blue, dotted with fluffy clouds. The massive outlines of Hadrigen and its three moons are a familiar sight, even during the day, and the sun is warm. Now that she’s taken in her surroundings, she notices Jared and the strange man standing a short ways away. Jared’s swinging a metal baseball bat at something on the ground with wild abandon as the man watches with a curious expression. Behind him are the ghosts of the man with ragged black hair, the young man with sandy blonde hair, and the toddler with the red hair, and all their eyes are fixated on her.

_Oh. It’s that detective._

She rises to her feet, walking across the grassy field with her hands in her pockets. The man doesn’t notice her until she’s beside him with a sly smirk. His pale green eyes go wide and he looks her up and down before choking out, “G-good to see you again.”

“Yeah. Maybe we can have a civilized conversation now that you’re not keeping me shackled to some metal Ikea table.” Poltergeist responds in a neutral tone.

The man lets out a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Right. I deeply apologize for that. That was…”

“A dick move?” Poltergeist offers.

Hiro stares at her with wide eyes, glancing briefly over to where Jared chases something through the tall grass, his long brown hair falling over his eyes. Waving a hand, Poltergeist murmurs, “I wouldn’t curse within earshot. Jared happens to have hearing damage so he can’t hear us at this distance.”

“Oh?” Hiro responds curiously.

“Mm-hm. A small explosive thrown by a soldier detonated too close to him, killed his dad, and rendered Jared completely deaf in his right ear and half-deaf in his left.” Poltergeist explains gently, eyes following the boy as he starts swinging the bat at something in the grass.

Wincing, Hiro murmurs, “Oh my God…”

Poltergeist nods somberly. “On the bright side, his father’s ghost came to me in time for me to treat his injuries. He’s recovered incredibly well, under the circumstances.”

She doesn’t miss the way Hiro shudders at her words. The question was whether it was due to the orphaned boy or the casual mention of her Legacy. Her question is quickly answered by his own question, “So…there’s life after death, huh?”

Poltergeist shrugs. “Before I ended up with this Legacy, I believed there was. It’s just nice to know for sure that anyone I lost is continuing on somewhere.”

Hiro nods thoughtfully.

Jared lets out a triumphant yell, reaching down as he shouts, “I got one!!”

Immediately, Poltergeist snaps, _“Jared, don’t you DARE touch that dead rat!”_

The boy jumps, turning around to look at the source of the sound with wide eyes. After a moment, his face splits into a broad grin and he waves his free hand wildly. Dropping the bat, he starts running towards Poltergeist and Hiro.

“Ghosty, you’re not dead!” he exclaims, more loudly than necessary, and jumps towards Poltergeist.

Catching him in her arms, she snickers, “Of course not, squirt.”

She’s acutely aware of four pairs of eyes burning into her skin, belonging to Hiro and the ghosts that drift along behind him. Even so, she has a short conversation with Jared about bugs and the usefulness of empty margarine containers before sending him off. Once he’s gone, she dusts herself off with a huff of satisfaction and wedges her hands in her pockets.

“So. You must’ve been looking for me, then.” Poltergeist comments offhandedly, intending to make a joke.

Hiro’s pale green eyes go wide and he murmurs, “Holy shit, how did you know…?”

It’s Poltergeist’s turn to stare in shock, not expecting her joke to be so stupidly spot-on. “Oh fuck, you were? I was making a joke, man.”

“O-oh, well,” he clears his throat awkwardly, “Since you can see the dead, I was wondering something.”

“Well, speak then.” Poltergeist heaves a sigh, turning to face Hiro completely.

The man shuffles his feet, looking no different than the kids in the warehouse for a moment, before steeling himself and murmuring, “I wanted to ask if you’d seen someone. Well, more accurately, their _ghost _.__ ”

Shifting her weight from foot to foot, a lopsided smirk on her face, Poltergeist replies, “Oh boy, that’s a new one. Usually it’s ghosts asking me if I’ve seen living family members.”

Hiro lets out a slow breath through his nose, giving Poltergeist a ‘ _really _?’__ look. She snorts in amusement, waving a hand. “I apologize, O Salty One. Proceed.”

Ignoring her statement, he continues, “Did you ever meet the ghost of Hitashi Kenjirou?”

Poltergeist stiffens, her face twisting into a scowl before she can think better of it. Hiro perks up with interest, scanning her face. “Oh? You really did meet him?”

Wedging her hands in her pockets, Poltergeist reluctantly mutters, “Unfortunately, yes,” something prods at her consciousness, a branch of Hiro’s aura trying to worm its way into her head, “Stop trying to look into my mind, _Jesus Christ _.__ ”

The young man blinks in surprise, looking like a startled cat, “You knew I was trying-”

“ _Yes _.__  It’s a little hard to miss.” She snaps.

That’s all he’s getting from her regarding her ability to see auras. Letting someone know she can interact with the second plane of existence is one thing. Letting someone know the full extent of her abilities is another.

Thankfully, he backs off and waits patiently for her to elaborate on Hitashi’s whereabouts. With a longsuffering sigh, she gestures vaguely with her right hand as she speaks.

“He’s not dead, if that’s what you were wondering. He’s a Runner, and he’s awfully chummy with this other Runner, who is a _complete_ and _utter_ prick.” She doesn’t bother going into the fact that the two of them were Runners together at one point, instead moving her hand to rub nonchalantly at the dog tags around her neck.

“He’s…he’s alive?” Hiro breathes, evidently awestruck.

As touching as his reaction is, Poltergeist is getting irritated. Everyone around her seems determined to act like some melodramatic anime character, and it’s _grating on her nerves _.__  Still, she calms herself and fixates him with her gaze. “Yeah. He’s a dumbass, too. Yippee.”

Hiro gives her a sharp look, then catches himself and lets out a sigh. “Thank God.”

Poltergeist shrugs. “Mm.”

The black-haired ghost that had been following Hiro around suddenly floats closer, placing himself between Poltergeist and Hiro with a look that could only be described as ‘person-finally-finds-that-one-internet-troll-and-intends-to-make-good-on-that-death-threat’. Which, in Poltergeist’s opinion, is _completely_ rude and uncalled for. She smirks at the ghost and speaks on the second plane, dragging the strangest look from Hiro.

_****-Problem, Casper?** ** _

The ghost hisses, speaking in a deep, ragged voice as his dark eyes burn balefully into Poltergeist’s very being.

_****-You happen to be my problem.** ** _

_****-Well, lucky me. I’m yet another person’s problem. I’m sure I’m setting a world record here. “Most problematic piece of shit in the galaxy”. Sounds great. I should put that on a resume.** ** _

_****-If I had no semblance of self-restraint, you’d be laid out from here to that interrogation room.** ** _

_****-Wow. Once again, I feel so lucky. I’m so loved.** ** _

“Are…are you all right?” Hiro’s soft voice interrupts Poltergeist’s heated banter with the ghost, and she nonchalantly reaches out and shoves the ghost aside. Hiro’s face becomes something between shock, unease, and confusion, and Poltergeist gives him a calm smirk.

“I’m just fine, thanks. You just happen to have a _particularly_ salty ghost following you.” She replies as causally as if talking to ghosts was a normal, everyday occurrence for anyone.

Hiro stiffens, glancing in the direction Poltergeist had shoved the ghost. Of course, there’s no way he can see it, but he happens to be looking directly at the apparition. The man snarls in Hiro’s direction, speaking in the usual half-plane that most ghosts use to communicate with Poltergeist, “Fucking brat hasn’t changed at all.”

This gets Poltergeist’s attention, and she holds up a hand in Hiro’s direction. “Hang on. I’m going to deal with this one. Give me a few minutes.”

Glancing back at the ghost, she calls,

_****-C’mon man let’s go.** ** _

_****-I don’t take orders from children.** ** _

_****-Well shit, neither do I but at least I’m used to dealing with them. You act worse than** ** ** **my** ** ****gremlins.** ** _

The ghost bares sharp teeth in a snarl before ruefully following her closer to the grass where Jared had smashed the rat. Satisfied with the distance between herself and Hiro, she turns to look at the ghost, hands still in her pockets as she rests her weight on one foot. “All right, what the fresh hell is your damage?”

The ghost shoots forward, face inches from hers as he snarls, “That kid happens to be _my_ brat. I’m following him because he _belongs_ to me.”

The closeness lets Poltergeist feel just how intense the cold radiating off the ghost is, and she resists the urge to shiver from the chill. Now, upon closer inspection, she can see the similarities between this man and Hiro, especially in the shape of their jaws, the composition of their facial features, and the waviness of their hair. Poltergeist hums, giving the ghost an insolent smile as she replies, “Charming. You’re such a devoted parent. I’m tearing up here.”

The ghost reaches out and grabs her shoulders, turning her smirk into a withering scowl. “Really, man? _Really _?__  I can’t exactly die. Threats don’t do shit.”

The ghost digs his fingers - which are now morphing into the claws of a true poltergeist phenomenon - into her shoulders, bruising the skin underneath. His voice switches to the second plane, growing more gravelly and menacing.

_****-But you can still feel pain. I could gouge out your eyeballs right here and keep doing it again and again and again until you begged for death.** ** _

Narrowing her eyes and letting the snide grin spread across her face again, Poltergeist replies,

_****-I’ve been tortured before. Nothing you could dream up would be new to me. Just another day in the life of me, y’know?** ** _

_****-Well, you shouldn’t be too bothered, then.** ** _

_****-I’m not. I’d just like to have a nice little chat with you. How about this: I won’t kill you for good, and you let me go, Fuckhands McMike. Sound like a plan?** ** _

_****-Hardly. But you’re interesting. I’ll humor you somewhat.** ** _

_****-Thank you, I get that a lot.** ** _

_****-Don’t push your goddamn luck.** ** _

_****-It’s a hobby, though. I can’t make any promises. Jackassery and hooliganism is my forte.** ** _

The ghost’s aura flares, and Poltergeist counters it with a burst of her own energy. The ghost backs up with a hiss of distaste, hovering above the grass a few feet away.

“You’re quite the pain in the ass.” He growls, dark eyes fixated maliciously on Poltergeist.

She shrugs, “It’s a gift.”

“So what did you want to talk about, brat.”

Poltergeist smirks in the ghost’s direction, replying with, “We got off on the wrong foot. My name is Poltergeist. Yours?”

For a moment, Poltergeist isn’t sure whether or not he’ll respond, as he keeps his hostile gaze trained on her. After a moment, his aura flares green with disgust and he mutters, “Tanaka Kenjirou.”

“Nice to meet you,” she replies briefly before continuing, “Now you wouldn’t be here unless you had some unfinished business on the first plane. I assume it has something to do with your son. What’s your goal here?”

Tanaka straightens up, crossing his scarred arms in front of his chest. “My goal is to see my sons suffer.”

“Wow. Aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine.” Poltergeist remarks, quirking an eyebrow.

“Never wanted kids. They’re a source of entertainment only when they’re in pain.

Wrinkling her nose and pulling her hands from her pockets, Poltergeist replies, “Dude. That’s fucked up. Like, I thought _I_ was fucked up for getting angry spirits to slice up soldiers but like…this is next-level fucked up.”

Tanaka narrows his eyes and she continues, gesturing vaguely, “Like I thought some of the shit on the _internet_ was fucked up but like…” she glances at Tanaka with disgust and shock on her face, “…what the shit is _wrong_ with you?”

His aura shimmers from green disgust to angry red once again. Poltergeist feels her own emotions respond in turn, probably changing her own aura to a similar colour. She can’t see her own aura, so there’s no way she can be sure. She just _assumes_ she’s giving off an angry vibe. A smile devoid of joy spreads across her face, exposing her teeth and fanged canines as she murmurs, “Oh, did I make you upset? I was just stating facts, after all. Bottom line is: you’re one seriously crazed-up fruit loop.”

“Coming from the one whose very existence is a hoax, that’s hilarious.”

Poltergeist shrugs. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m not supposed to exist. You saying that doesn’t bother me. But,” she walks silently closer to Tanaka, the air around her growing eerily still as she feels her existence begin to waver between the two planes like an image on a static-infested television screen. She stops two feet from the ghost of Hiro and Hitashi’s father, letting the smile fade from her face as she calmly switches to speaking on the second plane.

_****-I place little value in souls who exist solely for the purpose of tormenting people who don’t deserve it.** ** _

Tanaka’s form wavers, and smoky grey fear begins threading its way slowly through his aura, like water dripping down a window pane. He floats backwards ever-so-slightly, and Poltergeist takes a step closer.

_****-You had better back away before I make good on that threat to tear out your eyes.** ** _

_****-Really? Your aura says otherwise, Tanaka.** ** _

Tanaka’s stony face fades a bit, and he momentarily takes his true form - the one that shows how he looked at the moment he died.

_He’s that scared of me, hm?_

Poltergeist smirks, wedging her hands back in her pockets.

_Good._

_****-You’d best be finding yourself a better motive to keep yourself attached to this plane instead of heading into the afterlife.** ** _

_****-Or what?** ** _

Poltergeist smiles innocently at Tanaka.

Then, she speaks on both planes at once.

_****-O**** r I’l ** **l ki**** l ** **l**** y ** **o**** u._

Tanaka’s form flickers, and he shifts fully into his true form. Throat laid open, blood running from his mouth, nose, and empty eye sockets, he remains unnervingly silent. Poltergeist resists the urge to gag at the sight, fixating his blood-and-gore-strewn eye sockets with her gaze until his form just…vanishes. As if he’d never even been there.

Now that he’s gone, Poltergeist lets out a heavy sigh, bringing her hand up to rub at her throat in the same place that Tanaka’s had been ripped wide open. She remembers the sensation of a cold, sterile scalpel on her own throat, grating across her windpipe and severing arteries as it reams her neck open.

She grits her teeth, pinching the skin on the side of her neck to drag herself out of her twisted memories.

_Remembering shit like that does nothing useful._

She turns around to see Hiro watching her with wide eyes, still in the same place he was standing before she confronted Tanaka. She puts on a lazy smirk, moving back towards him with a call of, “Now your dad there was an _asshole _.__ ”

“My-” Hiro swallows hard, confirming Poltergeist’s hunch that he hadn’t liked his father much either, “My father?”

“Tanaka Kenjirou? Nasty old bastard. He’s better off dead.” She replies bluntly, grinning joylessly once again.

Hiro takes a moment to breathe, running a hand through his wavy black hair. “What exactly did you do?”

Shrugging, she replies, “I scared him off.”

“Wait, wait, wait, _wait _…__ ” He holds up one hand, pressing the other to his temple, “You _scared him off?”_

Poltergeist quirks an eyebrow in confusion before remembering that normal first-plane dwellers are unfamiliar with what exactly she is and what she’s capable of. Clearing her throat, she wrings her fingers at her sides for a moment before meeting his pale green eyes and levelly responding. “You say the right things at the right moments and you can scare anyone.”

Once again, Hiro’s awareness pushes against her own, creating a feeling of pressure around her heart and in her head. Hissing, she backs up a few steps and releases a small burst of her aura to push back the rapidly advancing vines that are Hiro’s aura. He seems confused for a second, right up until Poltergeist snaps, _“Knock it off!”_

“Knock what off?” He asks, blinking once in feigned innocence.

“Trying to get inside my _goddamn head!!”_

“I don’t- usually people don’t know or sense when I’m doing it?” He sputters, his aura retreating rapidly and growing indigo-tinged with remorse.

Crushing any guilt she may feel, Poltergeist continues, “It’s like having someone walk into your room while you’re doing questionable shit. _Without knocking._ Think about that for a moment and try to put yourself in _my_ shoes.”

The young man runs a hand through his hair, sighing in exasperation. “You’re completely different from anyone I’ve ever had to deal with…”

“Good. At least I’m interesting. Just stop trying to get inside my head. It’s creepy as all hell.” She snorts in reply.

Just beyond him, the red-haired ghost child and the sandy-haired young man’s ghost watch her with equal parts curiosity and amusement. She’ll have to talk to them later, when Hiro’s occupied doing something else. Speaking with second-plane dwellers in plain sight around someone so irritatingly perceptive and with such a meddlesome Legacy could end up revealing more than Poltergeist ever wanted.

It’s about this time that she catches sight of the ghost she’d been trying to help the previous night, hovering tentatively at the edge of the field, partially shrouded in the shadows cast by a ruined apartment complex. He looks anxious, wringing his hands together and glancing from Poltergeist, to someplace over his shoulder, and back to Poltergeist. His amber eyes beg for help, dragging her crushed sympathy up from wherever she’d buried it and resuscitating it.

Muttering a string of curses under her breath, she begins walking in the direction of the ghost, gesturing over her shoulder for Hiro to follow. He hesitates, but it takes little time for him to come to a decision and trail along after her.

“Where are we heading to…?” he asks slowly, almost as though he doesn’t want an answer.

With a lazy smirk, Poltergeist replies, “Helping a ghost pass on. You get to jobshadow me for a day, isn’t that great?”

“Well, I’d rather not become a criminal just yet-”

“O-kay then, let’s get going!”

“...this is going to end badly, isn’t it.” Hiro mumbles in a voice filled with resignation.

Laughing, Poltergeist nods. “Of course! We wouldn’t be experiencing the Full Poltergeist Experience (trademarked) unless something went horrendously, life-ruiningly bad and ended with a) someone getting violently killed b) me going absolutely broke and having to beg on a street corner with a pet monkey for money or c) all of the above.”

Hiro begins to protest, but Poltergeist has pulled her hood back up over her head and brought a fresh medical mask out from her pocket, breaking into a run. As she begins finding her rhythm and settling into the distraction of parkour, following the ghost, she once again has to bite back a yell of euphoria.

_That can wait._

_Right now, I have a job to do and a detective to convince._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiro is a detective but he doesn't handle stress well. 
> 
> Hence why he's acting like a dumbass. 
> 
> Also idek how many people read this or where I'm going with this, I just really enjoy writing Poltergeist,,,,


	4. shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SHOULD REALLY BE UPDATING THOSE BNHA FICS BUT I HAD A BURST OF INSPIRATION AND HAD TO ACT ON IT
> 
> TW for this chapter: gore, emetophobia, transphobic antagonist

Avery takes a deep breath through his nose, holds it for three seconds, then lets it out slowly through barely-parted lips. On his right side, Hitashi matches his pace step-for-step, keeping his eyes trained on the massive silver doors they approach. Ornate engravings decorate the doors, and above them, a sentence is immortalized in stone.

_For the good of us all._

A simple sentence, telling the people of Arlin that whatever Runners and the Council of Seven does, it’s always with their best interests at heart. Perhaps that’s what the Council believes. Avery struggles not to wrinkle his nose in distaste.

He’s placed his faith in the Council, trusting that whatever he’s ordered to do, it’s always for the best. Even so, however, he has his doubts. When he asks about the smokestacks running from below APD headquarters and the question is deflected, the mysterious disappearances of dissenters and Runners who ask to retire too soon after joining, and a few other issues have recently begun to turn Avery’s stomach.

Movement captures his attention, and he glances at Hitashi’s hands out the corner of his eye.

_||It’s going to be fine.||_

_I hope you’re right,_  he thinks to himself without signing back.

Stopping in unison outside the doors, the pair waits to be allowed in. Avery’s stomach flips over and over, but he keeps his face unreadable as stone. He’d quite like to find out what happens when Runners grow wary of the system, but not from personal experience.

After a moment, there’s a hollow thud that radiates throughout the entire building and the doors creak open, screeching in protest. Hitashi takes the lead now, and Avery is glad to remain silent and follow him.

Blinking in the cold light within the main entrance, Avery wills his eyes to grow accustomed to the interior. It takes a moment, but he soon focuses on the young man standing before them, a warm smile on his face and his fawn-coloured hair pushed back and up into messy spikes. Despite the childish hairstyle and his expression, however, he simply hums with authority.

Rubbing at one of the lapels on his silver-grey suit, he gently murmurs, “So I hear you failed to catch the Kestrel?”

A chill runs down Avery’s spine, but he presses onward and moves to stand next to Hitashi. Bowing his head in respect - or perhaps submission - he responds, “We’re deeply sorry, sir. We won’t fail next time.”

“Make sure of it, Nightmare. Otherwise you’ll be removed from the picture. Both of you.” The man speaks softly, but his voice makes it feel as though snakes are creeping up Avery’s spine.

He’s never been comfortable around this man, Nick - or Edge, if one wanted to call him by his ridiculously stupid alias. Being the most powerful man in Arlin as well as the head of the Council of Seven, Avery’s always had somewhat of a fear of him. He’s never seen him use a Legacy before, nor has he seen Nick in a real fight. Even so, Avery’s positive that this man has an absurd skill level in battle.

_It’s best not to find out._

Seeing as Avery’s not responded, Hitashi quickly picks up the slack. “Yes sir. Is there anything else we can do for you as of now?”

Nick makes an amused humming noise, rubbing at his clean-shaven chin. “Actually, our scientists have been working on something special for quite some time. Today I get to test out the first prototype for the new weapon.”

“Weapon, sir?” Avery inquires, straightening up once again.

“I say weapon, but it’s rather like…how should I put this…it’s rather like a litmus test.”

“I apologize for asking so many questions, but what would this litmus test be determining?”

“Ahh, we’ll just have to observe the test itself, now, won’t we?” Nick says, mouth curving into an unsettling smile.

As if on cue, a side door opens and a group of six soldiers walks in, guns fixated on a boy no more than sixteen years old. His sapphire-blue eyes fixated on the floor in front of him, red bangs falling over his eyes, he remains silent and lets himself be ushered along by the soldiers. His hands are secured behind his back with Legacy-cancelling cuffs as well, preventing him from fighting back.

Avery quashes down the urge to protest at his treatment, making sure his face is still carefully neutral as he observes. Even so, he finds himself silently praying that this won’t end with the boy lying dead in a pool of his own blood, Spiderblood or not. Hitashi, however, is noticeably more agitated, biting his lip and eyes glittering with worry.

Nick snaps his fingers, prompting a young woman in a lab coat to hurry over from the crowd at the edges of the lobby. She murmurs a few soft words to Nick, who nods, then takes a small object from the woman’s hands. He turns it over in his hands as she melds back into the crowd of workers and Runners, and Avery notices now that it resembles a cellphone without a screen.

Now, Nick casually strides over towards the soldiers, gesturing for Avery and Hitashi to follow.

He has them stop a few feet from the soldiers, then points the device in the direction of the redheaded boy. Blue eyes burn with barely-veiled defiance as the device begins to beep frantically. Nick lets out a pleased hum, glancing at the soldiers with a meaningful smirk. “He’s indeed a Spiderblood.”

Avery’s stomach lurches, his violet eyes briefly flicking over in Hitashi’s direction. The vague tang of fear-scent is beginning to waft from the other boy, but his lip-biting has stopped. Nick gestures nonchalantly to the soldiers, one of which fires a round from a pistol into the boy’s back. A sharp cry escapes his mouth before he collapses to the floor, unconscious. 

_A tranquilizer gun?_

From there, the soldier who knocked him unconscious grabs him and throws him over his shoulder.

_We need to get out of here. Now._

Avery clears his throat, dipping his head to Nick as he levelly says, “My apologies, sir, but we have some errands to run for a friend. We should be going now.”

“Oh? It’s a shame you couldn’t stay longer, Nightmare,” he approaches the pair, gesturing casually with the device. Almost…almost too casually.

“You know, I’ve had a few questions regarding the two of you. I’m pretty sure I can answer them myself now, though.”

Avery’s heart seizes in his chest as the device begins to beep wildly. It’s pointing directly at Hitashi, and that same unsettling smile begins to spread across Nick’s face. Hitashi’s throat bobs as he swallows nervously.

“I see my predictions were correct, Spiderblood.” Nick says in a playful voice.

Struggling to keep his voice level, Avery interjects, “It’s still a prototype, sir. It could be making errors.”

“Ah, you’re right. There’s only one way I can clearly determine whether or not White Dog here is actually a Spiderblood.”

Before Avery can react, Hitashi’s very shadow moves like a sentient being, rising up behind him in the shape of a spear. Avery’s eyes grow wide, and he manages to get out a “Hitash-” before it shoots forward and skewers Hitashi from behind, straight through his abdomen.

His green eyes shoot wide open, his back arching from the impact as a wet, choking cry slips from his mouth. Then, as soon as he starts frantically grabbing at the rock-hard spire through his body, it retracts, dropping him on the floor and melting back into his shadow. As he curls in on himself, twitching and rolling onto his side in his own blood, Avery makes a move to run towards him.

He stops dead as there’s the feeling of a knife at his throat and a hand gripping his shoulder. His eyes flick to his right, seeing another sentient shadow-creature pressing an obsidian-black blade to his neck. He can’t make out what form, exactly, the creature has taken, but he holds up his palms in surrender anyhow. He’s got the business end of a knife pressed to his throat, he’s not going to take any chances that’d result in it going from __on__  his neck to __into__  his neck.

He drops the stonefaced facade, narrowing his eyes and glaring at Nick. “What the _fuck_ is your problem?”

“Spiderbloods are incredibly useful, Miss Avery,” he cringes at the pronoun used, “and I’m sure this one will be just as useful with his Legacy, if not more.”

“Useful for _what_ , exactly?” He snaps in reply as Hitashi coughs up blood and shakily tries to rise to his knees.

Nick moves closer, smiling innocently as he begins counting on his fingers, “With his psychokinesis, he could be used to advance construction efforts, research ways to create new weaponry, destroy hostile tribes, assassinate enemies of Arlin, and should he choose to come quietly, perhaps he could instead become a soldier.”

Avery opens his mouth to spit back a retort, but Hitashi interrupts, holding the slowly-healing wound in his stomach, “Avery, wait.”

_“What?”_

Hitashi glances back towards Nick, murmuring, “If…if I promise to do what you want, will you let Avery go?”

_“MOTHERFUCKER DON’T YOU PULL THIS TRAGIC HERO BULLSHIT OR I’M GOING TO POUND YOU INTO THE DIRT!!”_ Avery explodes, reaching up to grab at the shadow-creature’s arm.

The blade presses farther into Avery’s throat, and the blonde grinds his teeth in agitation. Hitashi flashes him a worried look, eyes begging him not to argue. Or, perhaps, to just…

_||Trust me.||_

Hitashi’s fingers move subtly enough to be mistaken for nervous fidgeting, but Avery catches two words in his gestures. Momentarily, he considers arguing and fighting back anyways.

It takes all of his willpower to release the shadow creature’s arm and lower his arms to his sides. Letting out a slow breath, Avery meets Nick’s eyes and says, “I’ll go along with what Hitashi wants, if you’re willing to listen to him.”

Nick’s amber eyes flit between the two Runners before he shrugs and places his hands in his pockets. “Whatever suits you, as long as I get the Spiderblood.”

The shadow creature melts away, slipping across the ground to rejoin Nick’s shadow and leaving Avery to rub ruefully at his throat. Nick whistles briefly, and the group of soldiers move in to surround Hitashi where he kneels on the floor. Avery and Hitashi catch each other’s gazes briefly before a boot slams into the back of Hitashi’s head, holding him firmly on the floor. Nick murmurs something to the soldiers as the one with the tranquilizer gun fires a dart into Hitashi’s back as well.

Green eyes go momentarily wide, then fall shut. Hitashi’s body slumps against the floor. The soldier who’d held him down removes his foot from Hitashi’s head, then slings the unconscious boy over his shoulder. Glaring, Avery finds it incredibly difficult to not immediately attack everyone in the room.

_He doesn’t fucking deserve this._

“You are dismissed,” Nick says flippantly with a wave of his hand, “And if you know what’s good for you, you absolutely will not make an attempt to steal the Spiderblood from me. Do I make myself clear?”

Avery swallows back the inhuman snarl in his throat, instead replying with a stiff, “Crystal, sir.”

“Good. Now get out of my sight.”

With no other choice, Avery turns and stalks out the door, hands deep in his pockets. He’s unsure of what’ll happen should he attempt to rescue Hitashi from this place, but what kind of friend would he be if he just left Hitashi there? Mind racing, he begins thinking about possibilities, people, resources, __anything__  at his disposal to help. Of course, without Hitashi, his resources have certainly lessened, but surely there must be __someone__  who can help-

He stops walking.

_There is someone I can ask._

Hope begins bubbling up in his chest.

_Maybe a normal human or Spiderblood can’t help Hitashi, but an enigma might be able to._

************************

“So I guess this is it.”

Poltergeist stands in front of a decrepit old apartment complex, with holes in the walls and steel beams completely exposed to the sunlight. Beside her, Hiro twiddles his fingers together anxiously. In addition to him, although he’s unaware, there are four ghosts hovering around them: the ghost of the young Runner, Kat, and the red-haired child and young man who accompany Hiro wherever he goes.

“Yeah, this is my home. Or, I guess, it used to be.” The Runner’s ghost says quietly. Poltergeist hums in response.

Then, she starts forward and crawls through a moss-coated hole - obviously older damage - as Hiro begins spluttering, “Waitwaitwaitwait WAIT…”

Poltergeist pauses, poking her head back outside the hole, “What?”

“You’re going in _there?!_ The whole thing’s falling apart!” he exclaims.

Poltergeist shrugs, “Dude. I’m pretty much a cockroach minus the creepy legs. It’ll take a __lot__  more than an old building to kill me. And I’ve seen worse-looking buildings that’re even more lived-in. This one’s fine.”

As if to prove her wrong, an ominous groan rumbles throughout the building. Hiro shoots her a horrified glance, but she just shrugs. “I mean, you can stay here and keep watch if you want. I don’t really care if you wanna stay here but I imagine your Council of Seven following bros’ll be more than thrilled to find you standing around looking suspicious. This place _is_ patrolled pretty often. Just saying.”

Hiro shifts his weight from foot to foot, looking torn. At his expression, Poltergeist feels a pang of guilt for making him choose between two equally-terrifying things. She sighs. “Hey, how about you just come in this far, like, where I am? It’s sturdy here and you’re pretty hidden from outside. In the off chance the building collapses, you’ll also be able to escape. Sound cool?”

Heaving a sigh, Hiro replies, “No, I’ll come up with you. I’d like to see what exactly you do with your…your abilities.”

Poltergeist blinks.

_Shit, I guess I’m making more progress with him than I thought._

“Ok, but feel free to come back down if you get too stressed.”

Hiro nods, crouching down and squeezing through the hole into the abandoned room. The pair rise together, Poltergeist following the ghost and Hiro following Poltergeist. As they make their way through tight squeezes and jump across collapsed sections of the stairs or floor, Hiro begins speaking in a low voice.

“So is there really an honest-to-god ghost here? Or are you just coming here on a whim?”

Letting out an amused laugh, Poltergeist clambers up a ledge leading to a more-sturdy hallway. “I mean, I _do_ come to places like this sometimes just because I want to but today, there’s a ghost.”

As she turns and offers Hiro a hand up, he asks, “What does it look like?”

“Well,” she begins as they rise to their feet on the ledge, stealing a glance at the now-curious ghost,“He looks a little older than you. He’s blonde and looks just like a normal human but a little bit transparent. His eyes are kinda gold-brown. He’s wearing a t-shirt and jeans.”

“Are you for real? Ghosts are just…just like normal people?”

Poltergeist nods as they walk side-by-side down the hall. “Yeah. From what I know, they can change what their clothes look like at will. Their touch is also ice-cold. When they get incredibly emotional or aggressive, though, they shift form so they look the way they did at the moment they died. Clothes and all.”

Hiro’s pale green eyes meet Poltergeist’s, glittering with sympathy, “That must be horrible to see. And for them to experience.”

Her skin prickles at the unfamiliar emotion directed towards her. Immediately, she builds a wall around herself again, her aura spiking with energy in case Hiro tries using his Legacy on her again. “Yeah.”

The ghost stops in front of a locked door with the faded number ‘25’ on it, glancing over his shoulder at Poltergeist. With a tentative smile, he murmurs, “Th-this is it.”

Poltergeist flashes him a lopsided grin and a thumbs-up. “Thanks, man. You can head in. It’ll only take a little bit to open the door.”

The ghost grins for real, immediately phasing through the door. Kat hovers in front of Poltergeist now, upside down with her blue eyes sparkling. Poltergeist ignores her, instead searching her pockets for the lockpick she’d crafted out of scrap metal.

It’s not until she’s kneeling in front of the knob and busily picking away at the lock that Hiro decides to speak up.

“Can’t you just…phase through the door? You phased through the cuffs back at APD headquarters, right?” Hiro asks curiously.

“Nah, that wasn’t real intangibility. That was just me willing part of my body into the second plane. I don’t like doing it but it was either that or your buddies experimenting on me.” she mumbles, brow furrowed.

Hiro’s quiet for a moment before letting out a sigh. “I’m starting to think I should re-evaluate the company I keep.”

“Oh? Are you that tired of me already?” Poltergeist laughs, and she catches the vague sound of chuckling from Hiro.

“No, no, I’m referring to those ‘buddies’ you mentioned,” he says once he’s done laughing, “Maybe I’ve just been seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses or something.”

“They must’ve been shitty dollar store glasses if you worked your way out of them so quickly then.” The girl responds as the knob clicks and the lock slides open.

With a triumphant ‘aha,’ Poltergeist jumps to her feet, Kat floating out of her way to prevent knocking their heads together. The ghost mutters something about ‘being more careful’, but Poltergeist ignores her and leads the way into the apartment.

It’s incredibly tidy, with hardly any dust settling anywhere. The old furniture’s been kept incredibly well, with any chips or holes filled and sanded over, there’s a Sega hooked up to an older tv in the main room, and a small LCD tv sits in the kitchen, which is tidy with no dirty dishes anywhere in sight. The air smells clean compared to the rest of the structure, with hints of pine and some vanilla-scented air freshener vaguely accenting the distinct smell of old books. The faded, chipped paint on the walls is almost completely hidden from view by countless nature sketches and photos of people, presumably the ghost’s friends and family.

It feels incredibly welcoming, and more like a home than Poltergeist’s experienced in a very long time.

“I expected a home in this kind of building to be…well, not something like _this _.__ ” Hiro comments in an awestruck murmur, voicing Poltergeist’s thoughts.

The ghost of the young man laughs, smiling sheepishly, “I always took pride in keeping my home as welcoming as possible. I guess I did a good job, judging by your face and his reaction.”

Poltergeist is immediately aware of her gaping mouth, snapping it shut and giving the ghost a lopsided smile. “You definitely did.”

The ghost practically beams at her words, then turns and leads the way into the bedroom. This is the only place that looks even somewhat messy, and that’s only because the covers are peeled back and a set of pyjamas lay strewn across the floor, as though someone left and changed urgently.

That’s not the important thing, though. The important thing is the small terrarium in the corner, next to a window. A small snake lays coiled up inside, tongue flicking as it watches Hiro and Poltergeist enter. The girl approaches it, kneeling down next to the glass and pressing her index finger to the tank. The snake bobs its head curiously, following her finger.

“A…snake?” Hiro slowly asks.

Poltergeist nods. “Yup. This is what we’re here to deal with so the owner can pass on.”

Hiro makes an affirmative noise, standing beside Poltergeist and watching the snake in amusement. Her face is relaxed, and she makes sure it stays that way, but inside her, her thoughts are swirling around anxiously.

_How on earth am I supposed to find a home for this without drawing attention to myself?_

Her aura must’ve betrayed her thoughts, because the ghost heaves a sigh. “I know. I’m sorry that this isn’t easier…”

_****Don’t apologize. I’ll do what I promised I would,****  _Poltergeist replies on the second plane, immediately making Hiro jump in alarm. The ghost looks equally surprised, amber eyes wide as he stutters out a reply on the second plane.

_****O-oh, real-really? I mean, if it’s too hard-** ** _

_****It’s not impossible. I have ideas.** ** _

The ghost gives her a sad smile, one that makes her heart wrench, _****You really don’t have to-****_

_****You’re right. But I want to.** ** _

She’s just rising to her feet when Hiro speaks again.

“You know, if you’re trying to figure out what to do with it, I think I know someone who could take it.”

Poltergeist and the ghost both turn to look at him in surprise. Adjusting his glasses, he clears his throat and continues, “I met a girl-”

_“Ooooh, a girl, huh?”_ Poltergeist interrupts with a mischievous grin.

Hiro shoots her a sharp look, “-I met a girl at a trinket shop near APD headquarters. She seems like the kind of person who’d keep pets like these.”

Poltergeist holds her chin between her thumb and forefinger. With a thoughtful hum, she gives Hiro a smirk, “Well, that solves a lot of problems. Thanks, man.”

“Well, if it helps whoever this is…pass on, or whatever you wanna call it, then I might as well try to make it easier.” the young man murmurs softly, tone sympathetic.

The ghost stares at Hiro in surprise and wonder, a smile gradually spreading across his face. The situation is growing quite relaxed, Poltergeist notices somewhere in the back of her mind, but chooses to let her guard down. It’s nice, she thinks, to lower her defenses once in a while.

As she hunts around for a bag to carry the snake’s food and essentials in, Hiro reaches into the tank and begins nonchalantly playing with it, letting it coil around his hands and look around at the room. Poltergeist’s just reaching for a small backpack in the corner when the young man’s ghost __screams__  and the dresser drawers fly open before banging shut. Nearly jumping out of his skin, Hiro whips around and stares at the drawers before glancing back at Poltergeist in shock.

Immediately, she raises her guard, stretching her senses.

Sure enough, the flicker of five auras radiates from the ground outside, near the entrance the pair had used to get into the apartment. She grabs Hiro by the bandanna, dragging him down to sit with their backs pressed against the wall. _“Get down!”_

With sunlight filtering in through the window just above their heads, they breathe quietly, trying not to make a single sound as voices come as a distant murmur. Poltergeist meets Kat’s wide blue eyes, gesturing with her hands as Hiro reaches for the empty backpack Poltergeist dropped.

_||Go check it out. Patch them through the second plane.||_

Pink mohawk bouncing, the ghost nods before phasing through the window. The redheaded child that hangs around Hiro follows her as the two young men’s ghosts hover awkwardly in the center of the room. After a moment, there’s a sound like static on an old tv before the five strangers’ voices clip through on the second plane.

****He’s dead. There’s no way anyone’s in there, unless those fucking feral children got there first.** **

****Who gives a shit? We can just kill the little brats if they’re there. Nobody cares if a couple unwanted children bite the dust.** **

Poltergeist’s stomach twists in distaste, a scowl finding its way to her face.

****Look, these footprints in the dirt are fresh. A couple adults, I’d say.** **

****One set looks pretty small, maybe it’s a teenager and an adult.** **

****Think it’s that Spiderblood detective? The one they’re figuring out what to do with? Maybe he’s in cahoots with that weird-ass enigma kid.** **

****Why the fuck would they come here?** **

****Well…the enigma - Poltergeist was her name? - can supposedly communicate with the dead. If that’s true, maybe she’s here to do something with the dead Runner. Tyler, was that his name…?** **

****Whatever. Whether they’re there or not, Tyler was going on about his precious pet snake all the time. That’ll sell for a good price.** **

Tyler flickers for a moment and Poltergeist briefly catches a glimpse of a blood-soaked hoodie, torn blue jeans and mangled legs. His form stabilizes again, his eyes growing wide with panic.

“Please don’t let them take her! She’s all I had left!” He begs, shooting forward to grab at Poltergeist’s jacket.

Hiro squints at the way her jacket moves - seemingly on its own - as he places the snake in the bag over his shoulder with a perplexed look on his face. Ignoring him, Poltergeist reaches up and gently takes the ghost’s wrists. “ _I won’t. Hiro will make sure she gets to a good home.”_  she whispers with a lopsided smile.

The ghost flickers once more, then he lets out a breath and backs away. “I’m sorry. I panicked.”

“It’s okay. It makes sense for you to be upset about losing the chance to pass on.” Poltergeist murmurs in reply.

“Don’t worry,” Hiro says in a low voice, which makes both Poltergeist and Tyler flinch in surprise, “I promise you I’ll bring her safely to my friend. You have my word.”

Tyler looks Hiro in the eyes, tilting his head ever-so-slightly. A gentle smile slips across his face as he chuckles, “God, I wish he could hear me. Can you please tell him I’ll trust him to carry out my last wish?”

Poltergeist nods. With a mischievous grin, Poltergeist whispers, “He says he’s sure you’ll scream like a baby and cry when you touch the snake again.”

The ghost elbows Poltergeist sharply in the shoulder as Hiro splutters in alarm. Chuckling, she waves a hand dismissively and amends her statement.

“I’m joking. He says he trusts you to do him proud.”

Hiro smiles - a genuine smile, with no fear or nerves behind it - and nods. “I won’t let you down.”

The entire building groans, followed by Kat poking her head through the wall on Poltergeist’s right. She looks distressed, her sapphire-blue eyes glittering with what might be panic.

“They’re coming in, and I couldn’t find another exit. Any ideas?” Kat says, her voice wobbling nervously.

Her form momentarily flickers, but Poltergeist turns her head towards Hiro.

“Okay, what exactly can you do with your Legacy? I need all the details, preferably in 140 words or less. We’re a little pressed on time because those chuckleheads are coming up.” she hisses urgently.

Adjusting his glasses, Hiro clears his throat and begins explaining, “I can tell when a person is telling the truth, I can read the minds of everyone within a 100-metre radius if I choose to, and if I make eye contact with a person, I can pretty much brainwash them into doing anything I ask. My Legacy’s a complete violation of personal privacy, that’s why I rarely use-”

“What are those guys thinking now? I can read auras but hearing their thoughts’ll help us form a strategy.” Poltergeist interrupts, glancing towards the door.

The little girl’s ghost hovers by the door, and Poltergeist attempts to sign to her.

_||Close it. With me around, you should be able to close it.||_

She just blinks her big blue eyes in confusion, so Kat obliges and carefully closes the door. The little girl watches her for a moment, then follows her like a duckling. Beside Poltergeist, Hiro shudders a bit at what must look to him like a door moving on its own.

“That’s…unnerving, to say the least.”

Poltergeist stifles a bark of laughter, grinning at him. “That’s nothing. Wait til you see a ghost who was killed by an explosion. Oh, wait-”

Slapping herself in the forehead, she remembers that she’s the only one who can see what she does. Hiro catches onto what she means, giving her a gentle smile. “Okay. I’ll tell you what they’re thinking…”

Nothing happens for a moment, Hiro keeping his eyes shut and his nose scrunched up ever so slightly to stop his glasses from sliding down his face. Then, his aura shifts and morphs from something shaped like an opaque sphere around him into tendrils like dozens of hands. They reach and grab at anything alive in the room, from flies and the snake in Hiro’s bag to Poltergeist herself. As a deep red hand lunges towards her face, she bares her teeth in a soundless growl and swats the aura away with a burst of her own. Hiro’s aura shimmers from red to an inquisitive light green before the hands shoot away, phasing through the walls like nothing while also trying to grab at anything living on their way out.

Poltergeist tears her eyes away from the intriguing look about Hiro’s aura to the young man himself. His brow furrowed in concentration, he begins mumbling under his breath.

“...they’ve got weapons. Theyre- one of them has a strength-enhancing Legacy…he killed someone earlier today- a kid,” Poltergeist stiffens at that, wondering if it was one of her feral brats, “-they don’t care who’s up here or what their intentions are, they’re gonna kill anything that moves.”

Hiro’s pale green eyes open again, the hands retreating into the confines of the room while avoiding Poltergeist like the plague. The ghosts in the room stare at the aura curiously, dodging the arms with practiced ease. Except for Kat, however, who pokes at one of the arms. Hiro looks confused for a moment, shaking his head.

“A-anyways, I think we should get out of here. Is the window a decent escape route?” he asks.

Poltergeist rises to her feet, unlocking the latch on the window and sliding it open. A screen blocks their escape route, but that’s an easy fix. There’s a rusted fire escape ladder leading from the half-destroyed balcony to the ground, thankfully. Taking a deep breath through her nose and releasing it through her mouth, she murmurs, “Yeah. If all else fails, I’ll deal with ‘em. I’m kinda hard to kill. I just…okay, just buy some time with your Legacy. Make a dude attack the other ones to hold them off. I’ll agitate some spirits here and, like, try to get them to attack those guys or something. I need to get this screen off.”

Hiro makes an affirmative noise, and from the sounds of it, he’s moved off towards the door of the apartment. Poltergeist, meanwhile, reaches for the butterfly knife in her pocket. She flips it open, jabbing it into the points where it’s secured and wrenching them open. The sound of plastic snapping and screws clattering to the floor is loud, and Poltergeist catches the faintest, “Did you hear that?”

_Come on, come on, you bitch!_

She bites her lip, placing one foot on the windowsill to brace herself as she starts wrenching the screen apart. Her work is messy and haphazard, sending shards of plastic flying everywhere and scraping up her hands in the process, but it’s faster. She ignores the sound of the door being kicked open, followed by a sharp exclamation of, “WHAT THE-”

There’s the sound of wood and drywall crunching and squealing in protest as Hiro presumably brainwashes the strength-enhancing guy into attacking his allies. The sounds of the struggle intensify, so Poltergeist reluctantly casts out her aura as far as she can. It’s a beacon of sorts, luring the spirits of violent alien monsters to her location with the promise of wreaking havoc on first-plane dwellers.

Immediately, there’s a distant bellow that makes Poltergeist’s spine tingle. Of course, she’s the only one who can hear it - for the moment, at least - so she wrenches her knife back to snap off a large portion of the screen’s frame. She senses Tyler hovering to her left and utters a quick apology for wrecking his home, but he just replies with, “As long as you all get out of here safely, I’ll be happy.”

The bellow sounds again, this time sending a deep rumble through the precariously-balanced building. The struggle momentarily ceases, followed by the sound of snapping lumber, twisting metal and crumbling drywall. Poltergeist risks a glance over her shoulder, immediately noticing the dripping, inky black head of some malevolent spirit. Countless yellow, slitted eyes roll around wildly before fixating on Poltergeist. She freezes.

A quick glance to the side tells her that the soldiers and Hiro can see it as well due to her Legacy's influence. The ghosts, however, remain invisible to everyone who isn’t Poltergeist. Thankfully.

The spirit, dripping tar on the floor from its elongated, somewhat-liquid body and filling the room with the scent of sulfur and melting plastic, snaps its attention over to Poltergeist. It drags it’s long, oozing body through the hole it created in the wall and balances on coutless misshapen legs made of exposed muscle and bone and pulsing with countless spines. A vertical mouth opens in the middle of what Poltergeist guesses is its face, three rows of jagged white teeth glistening maliciously.

Well.

This is new.

Usually when this happens, the spirits just ravage whatever happens to be unlucky enough to be in the vicinity. Most of the time, this means Poltergeist loses an arm and has to huddle in an alley or garbage pile for her arm to regenerate. This one actually seems to be waiting for something to do, as if it possesses actual intellect.

“Uh,” she begins, glancing over her shoulder towards the soldiers preparing to fight the monster, “Those guys are, uh, they’re douchebags who want to kill my friend’s ass and…yeah, if you could do something about them, that’d be great, dude.”

Like a switch being flipped, the spirit whips around, countless more mouths opening from random parts of its body. A cacophony of tortured screams erupt from every one as it lunges for the soldiers. Hiro barely manages to dash out of the way before inky black tar sprays the walls and floor. The screaming continues, punctuated by the agonized screams of the soldiers themselves, as Poltergeist wrenches the last of the screen away.

“Get going! Just fucking _run_ like the devil’s on your ass because _IF WE’RE NOT OUT OF HERE BY THE TIME THAT THING’S DONE WITH THEM WE’RE PROBABLY NEXT ON IT’S ‘TO-MAIM’ LIST.”_ Poltergeist snaps, her voice reaching an unusually high pitch from the absurdity of the whole thing.

Hiro crawls out onto the balcony, eyeing her weirdly, “Didn’t you say you could agitate spirits and stuff? Isn’t this supposed to happen?”

_“WELL YEAH BUT USUALLY I JUST LET THEM ONTO THE FIRST PLANE AND HOPE FOR THE BEST AND USUALLY END UP LOSING LIMBS. I’VE NEVER MET ONE THAT LISTENS TO ME, OK?” IF IT'S SMART ENOUGH TO LISTEN TO ME, IT'S SMART ENOUGH TO THINK 'HMM, I ATE THESE GUYS BUT THOSE TWO IDIOTS LOOK EQUALLY APPENTIZING.'"_ She titters nervously, using her right hand to pull at a tuft of her hair.

Hiro widens his eyes, thankfully getting what Poltergeist’s trying to say and moving to crawl down the ladder. It screeches ominously, but holds. Now that he’s on his way down, Poltergeist spins around to keep watch and - hopefully - form a meatshield between the monster and Hiro. Or something. Anything that doesn’t involve being viciously decapitated and thrown around the room like a rat in a blender would be _great_.

The screams have stopped, and the air in the apartment has gone…eerily still. There’s a heavy feeling in the room, a deep, hollow hum resonating through the whole thing. The spirit rises from where it had been in front of the door, turning to reveal a mess of severed limbs and ruptured organs and viscera. Countless rolling eyes fixate on Poltergeist, freezing her in place. She’s sure the scent of her own fear is absolutely overwhelming and practically _begging_ the spirit to tear her apart and wait for her to regenerate and to fuse itself with her, to _take over to take away freedom no no no I don’t want to lose myself-_

_****You are afraid, small one.** ** _

It speaks on the second plane, lurching across the room towards her. She forces herself to smirk insolently, backing up one more step so her hands rest on the windowsill.

_****Why’d you think I’m afraid? I’ve seen some fucked up shit. This is nothing.** ** _

The monster chuckles, sounding like a group of people wheezing and cackling through a transceiver.

_****You absolutely reek of fear. Is it of me, or is it of something else?** ** _

_****If I tell you, you’ll take advantage of it.** ** _

_****What makes you think that? I’ve not laid a single claw or tooth on you, your ghost friends, or your first-plane friend. I’ve served you well, I would think.** ** _

Poltergeist narrows her eyes.

_****That’s exactly it. This is the first time something like this happened. You have ulterior motives.** ** _

_****Like what** **?** ** _

She licks her lips anxiously. Reaching up to brush her fringe from her face, she keeps speaking.

_****You’re just trying to get me to tell you my fears. When you know what they are, you’ll utilize that information.** ** _

_****If this is about me using you as a vessel to destroy the creatures of the first plane, I’ll have you know that you’re sorely mistaken.** ** _

_****How am I mistaken? Your kind are all the same. You all want to cause chaos and kill shit. It’s annoying as all hell.** ** _

_****My kind, you say? Isn’t that what that dictator Edge says about you?** ** _

Poltergeist jerks her head back as if she’s just been splashed with a bucket of ice water. For a moment, her fear and resolve recede in favor of shock and apprehension. The monster’s words…ring with truth, actually. She blinks, straightening up and letting her hands fall to her sides. Fingers wringing despite her willingness to listen, she obliges the monster in conversation.

_****That’s a fair point. I’m listening.** ** _

The monster folds its many legs beneath it, dripping tar and the stink of death across the floor as it leans forward. The stench of blood, raw meat and stomach contents blow into her face in a suffocating wall, but she switches to breathing through her mouth. This makes it better, but the stink still lingers.

_****You must have had only negative experiences with our kind, if you’re so reluctant to listen.** ** _

_****Oh, just a missing eye and about…hmm...I think I’ve lost my appendages a grand total of six times.** ** _

The monster chuckles again.

_****I see. You’re a little upset.** ** _

_****Just a little.** ** _

_****Well, you’re right about the causing chaos aspect of our personalities. In all honesty, I am quite tempted to go after your friend there. He smells of life and optimism and familial bonds. The ones we take away from families always taste the best, I should have you know.** ** _

_****Charming.** ** _

_****In any case, while possessing your vessel would be optimal, you appear to be harder to coerce than most. So may I ask of you a favor in exchange for my services and a promise to never possess you myself? Unless you will me to possess you, of course.** ** _

_****Not gonna happen. The possessing thing, that is. As for the favor…you saved mine and Hiro’s asses so I’ll listen.** ** _

_****I am grateful. Now, I would like to see Edge- or Nick, if we use his true name - killed.** ** _

_****That makes two of us, buddy. What’s your reasoning for wanting the fucker dead?** ** _

_****He began the hobby of hunting down my kind out of fear that we’d encroach on you humans’ land. I had to watch my tribe getting slaughtered before my eyes. All because he didn’t want to be diplomatic and bring it up with us. We were nomads, it would have been easy to ask us to move.** ** _

Poltergeist blinks in surprise. Her head tilts to the side the tiniest bit as she asks another question.

_****I never thought that spirits were anything more than lower-functioning alien races. If you had a tribe and were nomadic, I must’ve been wrong. You saying you would’ve been happy to negotiate diplomatically also makes me see this differently.** ** _

_****I’m glad. And despite that, we still look like this in death.** ** _

_****I mean you look fucking terrifying and if you’re going for a chaos-inducing look, well, you definitely nailed it.** ** _

_****Thank you.** ** _

The monster rises to its feet, tendons and muscles bulging in its two skinless legs. With a terrifyingly wide smile, he speaks again.

_****Do you and I have an accord, small one?** ** _

Poltergeist narrows her eyes once more before lowering her face.

_****We have an accord.** ** _

_****You have my eternal gratitude. Should you need me, call me by the name A’kantsu. I will come to your aid for as long as you uphold your end of the bargain.** ** _

Then, as if he’d never been there, A’kantsu vanishes. The low, thrumming hum that had filled the room and rattled Poltergeist’s teeth fades and the air grows light and breathable again. Well, aside from the stench of the five mangled corpses at the door. Turning to leave, she pulls a photo of Tyler with his family off the wall and casts one last glance over her shoulder out of curiosity.

Flies already cloud around the viscera, greedily feasting on everything they can. With a shudder, Poltergeist leaves the room through the window and shakily climbs down the ladder. Hiro waits at the bottom, the small snake coiling through his cybernetic arm lazily.

Relief alights in his eyes and he approaches her. “You made it out, huh?”

She says nothing, staring at the ground beneath her feet. Hiro doesn’t say anything for a long while either, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder. On instinct, she backs out of his reach, away from the unfamiliar feeling of _touch_. Slowly looking up, she meets his eyes briefly before staggering sideways and bracing herself against the wall as she violently empties her stomach.

She’s never quite been able to handle a sight like the one in the doorway of Tyler’s apartment.

**********************

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading my original stuff, thank you so much! I know my original stuff isn't as appealing as my fanfics but you still chose to read this anyways and I'm immensely grateful you did! 
> 
> [My tumblr!](http://www.hitamory.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> I'll prob regret posting this in like an hour lol 
> 
> (this was mostly experimental btw rip)


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